Column: Texting ban misses the mark

Just as soon as lawmakers figure out a way to enforce a ban on Driving While Stupid, we'll have this whole texting problem licked.

But I'm skeptical of the anti-texting bill that passed the Iowa House on Tuesday or anything short of a full-out prohibition against behind-the-wheel yahoos with no regard for human life.

Because the fundamental issue here isn't itchy thumbs, it's the idea that your distraction du jour is more important than actually, say, driving.

Oh, we've all been there: Played with the radio, fished around for the baby's pacifier, studied a map while keeping just half an eye on the road ahead. It's easy to do.

But distracted driving is also stupid, dangerous and hard to control. Maybe that's why state legislators have taken up the tiny issue of texting.

It's no surprise that Democrats and Republicans alike back the idea of putting the kibosh on texting while driving. It's an easy enemy, banning it a no-brainer, a slam dunk. But it's also a bit of a red herring.

Research continues to find that bans on texting or talking while driving don't work. Late last month, the Highway Loss Data Institute released study results that showed four states that banned drivers' use of hand-held phones had no resulting reductions in crashes.

That study looked at crash data for four states before and after implementing hand-held phone bans, then compared that data with other states. Even though the bans did reduce the number of people who used phones while driving, the crash data didn't budge.

“This finding doesn't auger well for any safety payoff from all the new laws that ban phone use and texting while driving,” institute President Adrian Lund was quoted as saying in a media release.

Other research has found that cell phones are about equally distracting if you're holding the device or not. The details legislators have focused on - whether to allow drivers to read messages, or to allow local cities and counties to pass stricter prohibitions - are irrelevant to that bigger picture.

The distraction is the conversation, not the phone.

Or the radio, or the makeup, or the magazine, or the GPS or host of other distractions too numerous to count or pass laws against.

Still, public safety officials and other supporters say banning the idiotic practice is the responsible thing to do. And slapping driving texters with a fine isn't likely to hurt anyone.

But if it's not likely to help all that much either, why bother?

Jennifer Hemmingsen's column appears on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Comments: (319) 339-3154; jennifer.hemmingsen@gazcomm.com