Having your eyes off of the road for two seconds on a straight road seems like nothing. It’s perfectly acceptable, right?

Wrong.

Those seemingly trivial two seconds used to answer a simple text message could be the difference between life and death when you’re on the road. It doesn’t take much to cross that double yellow line or run a red light that could place you in the middle of a deadly situation.

From the moment we step into driver’s education, we know that using a cell phone and driving is a potentially fatal combination.  As we sat in our driver’s education class and heard the teacher talk to us about the dangers of using a cell phone while driving, we all nodded our heads in agreement with whatever our teachers said.  At the same time, we all knew that most of us would be answering our text messages as we pulled out of the parking lot. Statistics reported by the National Safety Council in 2010 found that using a cell phone while driving leads to about 1.6 million crashes a year (http://www.kvue.com/news/Texting-while-driving-statistics-startling-84846627.html).

 In order to eliminate this issue, the state of Maryland has issued a law that has prohibited the use of cell phones while driving. Starting in October, all cell phone usage without a hands-free device will be declared illegal.

This law was issued in order to further encourage safe driving. In April 2010, a driving law pertaining to texting was passed, banning all Maryland drivers from reading or sending a text message while driving. 

 We all feel invincible when we are behind the wheel. Horrific tales of accidents and death bring about feelings of sympathy rather than fear. A driver must have their full attention on the road. If he or she is distracted, the driver is not able to concentrate solely on operating the car.

Furthermore, the new law applies to individuals of all ages. Maryland driving legislation previously stated that it was illegal for individuals under the age of 21 to use cell phones while driving.

Nobody is a perfect driver.  Texting and driving seems like a joke compared to driving under the influence. But being distracted by your cell phone is no joking matter. It’s a serious epidemic that is sweeping over our nation and this law is just the start of a long-awaited cure.

Kirby Browning can be reached for comment at [email protected]