Staff Writer
Everyone
knows that it is illegal to text and drive in North Carolina, but to what
extent? It’s hard to determine when
someone is texting and driving since North Carolina only has a ban on texting
and not any other use of hand-held devices. Under the N.C. texting ban, it’s
perfectly acceptable to make phone calls or change music while driving as long
as it isn’t texting. Furthermore, you are allowed to text as long as your car
is legally parked or at a complete stop.
That’s
why the Governor's Highway Safety Program thinks the current N.C. law doesn’t
go far enough. Highway Safety Director, Don Nial, said, “The problem isn't when
cars are stationary. It's when a traffic signal changes or a vehicle ahead of
the texting driver takes off.” The problem Nial has with the texting and
driving ban is that it doesn’t force people to use hands-free technology. It
only delays the text until the next stop sign or traffic light which still has
dangers. “A lot of people don't stop the text because the light turns green.
They probably go ahead and finish their text,” Nial later said to WRAL.
The
problem there is when you’re finishing a text at a green light, you hear a horn
behind you and you’re pressured to hit the gas without looking. This could lead
to rear-end crashes. The Governor’s Highway Safety Program is pushing for a
hands-free bill in North Carolina, where drivers will be forced to use
hands-free technology so they are never distracted with what’s in their hands.
