The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says distracted driving is dangerous claiming 3,450 lives in 2016 alone. The safety agency adds that 391,000 persons were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2015. NHTSA estimates that, during daylight hours, some 481,000 drivers are using cellphones while driving, creating “enormous potential for deaths and injuries on U.S. roads.” Teens were the largest age group reported as distracted at the time of fatal crashes. These and many other salient facts on the topic are readily available on NHTSA’s website.

Talking on a cellphone while driving is not the only form of potentially disastrous “distraction.”  For example, many vehicle operators text while driving. Many states have enacted laws prohibiting such conduct when operating a vehicle. The problem, however, persists and even increases because enforcement of such laws is difficult. Police manpower simply cannot focus on most offenders, especially when they phone or text furtively.