“Shut Up and Drive”

“Guns don’t kill people, cell phones kill people,” it says on bumper stickers. With high numbers of cell phone-caused traffic accidents, the numbers don’t lie. Cell phones have caused an estimated amount of 324,000 auto accidents. A distracted driver is dangerous, and the use of a cell phone while driving poses a serious threat. This is exactly why on Thursday October 1st, the ban on texting while driving will take effect.
According to the Washington Post, Lon Anderson who is a spokes person for AAA says, “We have an epidemic of distracted driving out there.” A vast majority of people in this country own cell phones. The majority of that majority also admits to using their cell phone while driving. Also according to the Washington Post, “[Distracted] drivers are twice as likely to have an accident or a ‘near-miss’”
Just recently, AAA had insisted on banning texting while driving. It is already banned in areas such as D.C. and Virginia. Anyone and everyone are at risk when it comes to distracted drivers. It doesn’t matter at all how good of a driver someone is. “‘Even the most veteran Beltway driver can get caught off-guard’ by construction, said Tim Steinhilber, general manager of the $2 billion project being built by Fluor-Transurban,” according to the Washington Post.
Anyone caught violating this law after it is in effect will be required to pay a fine of up to $500. The police are also able to pull over anyone who seems to be a cell phone to text. If the driver is using their cell phone to contact 911 in an emergency, he or she would not be subjected to such punishment. "Just like everyone else, we're seeing that (texting) has been mentioned as the cause of accidents lately, and anything that distracts people while driving is not good," said Ray Weaver, Annapolis Police Department spokesman, according to The Capital. "We certainly think it's a sensible law, and when it becomes law we'll enforce it."