Source: Denver Post
The first known ticket for texting while driving, according to Colorado officials, has been issued to a teen after she crashed her car on a main highway.
“The law was intended to send a strong message that distracted driving, particularly using a cellphone, is not acceptable in Colorado,” Rep. Randy Fischer, D-Fort Collins, said Thursday night.
An Aurora teenager, 19-year-old Jordyn Lucas, crashed her 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse into a median near Tower Road and Interstate 70 on Jan. 3, according to The Aurora Sentinel. When Aurora police contacted Lucas on Jan. 5 she admitted she crashed because she was texting while driving and she was ticketed.
Lucas told KDVR-Channel 31, Fox that she supported the law.
“They see you do it, they’re going to pull you over,” she said.
Take the Defensive
The law, which took effect Dec. 1, 2009, prohibits texting or e-mailing on a mobile device while driving. Drivers younger than 18 are banned from all cell phone use.
Lucas will appear in court this March and may face a fine. The citation will not count against points on her driver’s license.
_______________________________________
My take: Teens and texting is becoming as serious (and deadly) as driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, whether you’re traveling in California or Cleveland. And the consequences are made more tragic because often the drivers who break the texting laws are often doing innocent things, like talking to friends, or looking for concert tickets on line while heading to and from school, or some otherwise innocuous act.
Phones have become the top choice these days when it comes to buying kids gifts. Teens text at the dinner tables in restaurants, in line at the grocery store, and every other public place you can think of, effectively shutting themselves off from the visceral experience of actually having to look up, take part and communicate with the people around them. When it comes to custom gifts for teens, maybe we parents should start thinking about going back to basics and give our kids movie tickets and things that will force them to engage, and put the phone back in the “privilege” category, right there next to driving.
Look, there’s a better way to buy U2 tickets, and a safer way to get to that concert. Teens need to understand that any distraction that forces you to take your eyes off the road while driving, whether it’s looking for tickets, talking to friends online, finding out the best way to get through motorcycle driving school in New York, or how to apply for financial aid online. Keep your eyes on the road not your phone, and when it rings, let it go to voice mail. That’s what the voice mail technology is for.
It doesn’t matter where you live in the country. It could be North Carolina or New Mexico. Why find yourself in the terrible position of having to hire, say one of the thousands of family law attorneys our New Mexico attorneys out there, to help you sort out the legal ramifications of texting while driving?
—————————————————-
Other Resources
RECENT COMMENTS