Should the Punishment Fit the Crime?

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     Without exception, every time I'm out for a spin in the car, I always see a driver with his phone in his face.  I usually notice this after his his car veers into my lane!  As of September 1st, 46 states, including my home state of Illinois, have outlawed texting while driving (State Distracted Driving Driving Laws).  I presume that these drivers know very well the law states that texting while driving is illegal.  However, their need to LOL, BFF, and OMG is apparently a greater priority than adhering to laws created to protect the population.  Why is texting while driving illegal?  BECAUSE IT INJURES AND KILLS, DUH-HUH!  Data published by the CDC sums up the casualties of this crime: Every day, 9 people die and 1,153 are injured because of drivers distracted either because of texting or cell (Distracted Driving | Motor Vehicle Safety | CDC Injury Center)!  Even more alarming was an informal study by the Car and Driver Magazine that showed that texting drivers perform even worse than do drunk drivers (Texting While Driving: How Dangerous is it? - Feature - Car and Driver).

The laws created for driving under the influence have pretty serious penalties.  For instance, a DUI conviction results in revocation of driving privileges for a year, suspension of vehicle registration, fines, and community service.  If one does this while transporting a young child, he or she can land himself or herself in prison for six months.  If the offense is repeated, the penalties for any subsequent convictions become more severe.  If people cannot police themselves and "hold their thumbs," perhaps the laws for texting while driving should have punishments similar, if not worse, than those of driving under the influence.  Maybe police checkpoints for texting, in which officers scan mobile devices for texts sent in the last five minutes, should be employed.  I bet license revocation and jail time would deter this inexcusable, unacceptable behavior from those who disrespect the laws meant to protect others.  From my observations, I think that the jails would be full.  I know so!

The message can wait. The population functioned very effectively a decade ago without texting while driving, and they can today.  Nothing that any of us have to message to each other is more important than preserving the lives of other people.