Recently in Washington, DC a gentleman stopped his car, got out, and tore apart a traffic cam. The theory is that over one million traffic tickets had been given out in Washington, D.C. via these traffic cams raising over $100,000,000.00 in revenue. I had mixed emotions about this event from a legal perspective. Certainly, if people are breaking the law and it is caught on film it is actionable by the governing body. I am sure the argument is that the traffic cams are there for safety reasons. In other words, to dissuade people from driving above the speed limit and/or recklessly. If it is there as a tool to garner revenue from the City, there is something seriously objectionable about that. However, who would disagree with a camera specifically designed to catch people texting while driving. I would be all for that as well as any police officer who set up his cruiser in a way to detect who is staring at their phone while driving.
Texting and driving is a scourge that is going to cost thousands of lives across this country. On any random day as I drive a half hour toward work, I rarely pass someone who is not staring at their phone. It borders on an addiction, but one that is highly dangerous to other people. Addictions normally endanger only the person addicted. In this case, it is the public at large that is at risk. I have witnessed elderly people staring at their phones and slowly trying to tap out a response to a text. Making it illegal is not enough. Most people get away with it and pay the $25.00 fee if caught. This is a public health hazard that needs to be taken seriously and dealt with in a more significant way. I do, though, understand the difficulty in dealing with the situation. You are permitted to look at any part of the instrumentation on your dashboard, radio, heating, and air conditioning system, etc. However, none of these are written in paragraphs that require attention. And not one of these requires responses that could be more in-depth than a mere push of a button.
People should also consider that the felony of vehicular homicide will not cut people slack because they are otherwise law-abiding citizens. If you are found texting and you take someone’s life, you could be charged with vehicular homicide even though it was an accident. People should be more aware of this.
The law firm of Colucci, Colucci & Marcus, P.C. has been recognized by Newsweek.com as one of the Top 10 Best Law Firms for Personal Injury in the Country. Attorney Darin Colucci has also been recognized by Newsweek.com for 3 consecutive years as one of the Top 10 Best Personal Injury Attorneys in the Country.
