“Texting While Driving Enough For A Careless?”

Just read this on Yahoo news. A woman from London, ON was caught texting on her cellphone while driving, and was consequently charged with Careless Driving. Do you think it is a fair charge?

Here's the link (Sarnia's The Observer): http://www.theobserver.ca/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=1364939

I think it's a fair charge.

found more in a local paper....

A London woman faces a careless driving charge after police stopped a suspected impaired driver only to discover the person was text messaging. Lambton OPP said they received two complaints on Friday afternoon about an SUV that was being driven erratically on Highway 402

The fact that someone thinks that text-messaging while driving on a 400-Series Highway is a good thing to be doing... well it's becoming more common these days. I've seen people do it. Maybe in driver's ed classes we need to start showing photographs of people who've been in car crashes (or what's left of them) instead of the cars. Graphic, horrible, but stays with you for a LONG time and makes you really think about what you're doing on the road.

This texting-while-driving is right up there with people who eat cereal while driving, read books while driving, or crash into parked vehicles. People just aren't paying attention at all. Best evidence of that was a YouTube video, no longer available unfortunately, where a guy pulls out and BLOWS past a marked OPP truck at 160 km/h (80 zone). Cop was doing roughly the speed limit, I think. Cop pulls him over. Conversation:

Driver: "Hi.... uh, I'm stupid."

Cop: "No doubt. What's your hurry?"

Driver: "I'm just going to a friend's cottage."

Cop: "Pardon?"

Driver: "I'm just going to a friend's cottage." (Laughs.)

Cop: "You think this is a big joke?"

Driver: "No, I just feel dumb."

Cop: "Yeah, you are dumb. I need the ownership and registration for the vehicle."

(Pause)

Cop: "Should I get 'POLICE' written bigger on the back of that truck, you figure?"