Dumb Ass Drivers Who Text

Drivers who text should make everybody on the road more than mad (photo from arkansasonline.com). I often wag a finger when I see some dude or mum driving a Range Rover looking at their blackberry or iPhone. It happens all the time. So today the NYT reports on a Virginia Tech study that finds when a driver texting, their collision risk 23 times greater than when not texting. And here is something equally scary: in the moments before a crash or near crash, drivers typically spent nearly five seconds looking at their devices — enough time at typical highway speeds to cover more than the length of a football field. I am not particularly worried about the SUV drivers BTW they are plenty protected behind their tons of steel. Pitty the fellow in a smaller car, minding his own business. Driving his kids to swimming practice .. What is further remarkable in the US is that it is not illegal. Thirty-six states do not ban texting while driving. This while texting has soared: in December, phone users in the United States sent 110 billion messages, a tenfold increase in just three years, according to the cellular phone industry’s trade group, CTIA. I don't have the data for the UK but as I mentioned, I see these assholes thumbing at red lights or while driving; using a hands-free mobile is illegal and nets 3 points on your driver's license if caught. This is some stupidity that must not be tolerated.