Expand laws against texting while driving

A texting driver is 23 times more likely to be in an accident than someone who was not using a cell phone at all. Then there's the fact that someone who is texting while driving is about six times more likely to end up in a car accident than someone who is driving intoxicated.

Up until last summer, I would sometimes text while I was driving. I used to say it was fine because I would only text while I was waiting at a stoplight. I thought that it wasn't that much of a distraction and I could handle it. Luckily, I was never caught by the police and never caused an accident.

One day, when I was driving home with my sister, we were rear-ended by a man who was texting while driving. The speed limit was 45 miles per hour, but apparently he needed to focus more on the text message he was sending than on his driving. We were all very lucky no one was hurt in the accident.

After that day, I refuse to even look at my phone while I'm driving. As of December 2009, 19 states and the District of Columbia have made texting while driving illegal. President Obama even signed a bill prohibiting all government officials from using their cell phones in their cars.

I think all 50 states should pass laws making texting while driving illegal. Somehow the law needs to allow police officers to issue tickets if the phone is visible in the car, not just if someone is caught with phone in hand. This may not matter to some people, but if you've experienced the dangers of texting while driving firsthand, you know what I'm talking about.

Natalie Bryeans

Schaumburg