To me, it should not be. Recently, in the state I live in (Michigan), a piece of legislation was passed that would make texting and driving a primary offense. A primary offense is when the police can pull a driver over just for that specific reason. If a cop sees you texting and driving, that is grounds for the cop to pull you over. This is much different from a secondary offense. A secondary offense would come with a primary offense. For instance, if you get pulled over for speeding and you just happened to be texting, only then could you be fined for it. Michigan is not the only state to do this. Ohio, Iowa, D.C. and 17 other states have done the same. Although, texting and driving may be a secondary offense in those states. To me, this is just another reason a cop can pull you over, without legitimate reason or evidence. Just like the seat belt law, a cop can claim that you did not have your seat belt on. The only defense against that would be that you would have to record yourself getting pulled over with you seat belt. If you don't do that.....you didn't have the seat belt on. The same thing with this texting law. I would be fine with this if it were a secondary offense, but the fact that it's a primary offense is just absurd. In MI, the first time you are caught, it's a $100 fine and a second time is a $200 fine. No points are put on the drivers license. I don't know, it just seems a bit trivial. It's not like there a thousands of texting related deaths. This would be much bigger than it is. It seems to be a......pre-cautionary law. What are your thoughts?
Oh and I should post on the issue as well... I think it should be a primary offense, it's a huge distraction. It greatly impairs your ability to follow the rules of the road and drive SAFELY. I never did a study, or saw any study results, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was shown that texting while driving impaired your ability to control your car safely as much as driving under the influence. To text, many people have to look away from their windshield for seconds at a time. Very dangerous. You should be pulled over and punished for sending text messages while driving.
