Someone in the office this morning asked me if I thought 16 years old was too young to drive. Without hesitating, I answered "yes." Why? Because at 16 I had no business driving. I certainly didn't have the skills or maturity to be handling a 2,000-pound vehicle, that's for sure.
A bill sponsored by Texas Rep. Tom Craddick is proposing a statewide ban on texting while driving.
We have all been through it. Bad driving is like a uncured plague across this city. Driving has been and probably will forever be a frustrating experience. As most of Tyler will not be getting off of the road any time soon, here is something we may all need to relearn.
Teenagers aren’t drinking as much as they used to and more of them now wear seat belts, but all of that could be offset by the startling number of them who admit to texting while driving.
June 6, 2012 Drive down Broadway in Tyler, the Loop in Longview or any street in East Texas or America for that matter, and you'll see dogs hanging out the window lapping up the unending rush of air as the car goes down the street. When it comes to our dogs in the car, most have free reign. They can ride in our laps, sit in the front seat, sit in the back window and even go from hanging out the driver's window to the passenger window. Seems pretty harmless right?
Studies about the dangers of using a cell device while driving have produced mixed results — some say talking or texting behind the wheel can increase the odds of a crash exponentially, while others say the perils are few.
Regardless, the National Transportation Safety Board is so convinced of the dangers of “distracted driving” that it’s now called for a nationwide ban on non-emergency cell phone use while driving. Even hands-free devices are not excluded.
A story released today says that the National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that states ban the use of cell phones and all other electronic devices while driving. There would be an exception to this ban in only emergency situations.
