We live in fractious times. We can get in an argument over politics, religion or even what to eat. When the subject is global warming, Americans can get in a pretty good war of words over the weather.

Sometimes we can agree to disagree, but aren’t there issues that are simply beyond dispute, subjects on which we can all just agree to agree?

The absolute stupidity of composing text messages while driving a motor vehicle deserves to be at the top of the list. It doesn’t take a safety expert to tell you that an activity that requires all of your attention, most of your vision and at least one hand should not be done at the same time as steering 2,500 pounds of steel on a highway, moving almost the lengths of two football fields every five seconds.

This should go without saying, but unfortunately life doesn’t work that way, so we have to say it: This is dangerous, so don’t do it.

Some people think they have the brains and the skills to do two things at once, and they continue to play with their mobile phones while they are behind the wheel.

That doesn’t just put themselves at risk, but it endangers their passengers and anyone else who happens to be anywhere in the texter/driver’s vicinity. This is a clear risk to public safety, and if people won’t stop, there ought to be a law.

Of course, there is one. Last year the Legislature passed a bill that outlawed “distracted driving,” which includes texting, along with reading, eating, putting on makeup or yelling at your kids, as long as it distracts the driver enough to contribute to a moving violation or an accident.

But the law doesn’t allow an officer to pull a driver over before something bad happens — and so, there ought to be another law.

The sponsor of the distracted drivers law, Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham, is sponsoring a driving-while-texting ban, and it deserves unanimous support. People can argue that there are many ways that drivers can be distracted, but they can’t argue that this activity should ever be considered safe. They say you can’t legislate common sense, but sometimes you have to legislate some sense if people can’t figure out the obvious on their own.

There are some things that are so obvious that they don’t need to be argued. The good sense of banning texting while driving is one of them, and it’s time to pass this law.

 

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