Distracted drivers, do not pass go

Drivers have always faced distraction.

Hot coffee dripped where it sure doesn’t belong.

Kids fighting in the back seat, their flailing feet delivering kidney punches to the commander of the craft.

Spotting an uppety cat, the pet dog barking and suddenly leaping into the driver’s lap, delivering a crushing blow where that dripped hot coffee has only just begun to cool.

A breathtaking scene, a recent accident, the driver behind you mere inches from your rear bumper, these are frequent distractions, too. Maybe it’s a wonder that there aren’t more damaged cars and demented drivers, what with all the things that take our focus from the job at hand.

Which raises a pretty good question: Why would we willingly, nay, eagerly, embrace even more distractions?

The Idaho Legislature is poised to take a step toward making our roads a little bit saner and safer. Earlier this week, the Senate easily passed SB 1315, which would ban driver use of cellphones and any other electrical devices. The exception would be using your phone for navigation, but you couldn’t type in an address while driving.

Drivers could be cited for texting while at a stop light or in stalled traffic, not just while the vehicle is moving. The point is, if you’re behind the wheel, you have no business fiddling with anything not related to commandeering the vehicle.

In line with many other states, the penalties with SB 1315 are not very potent. The fine for a first offense would be $75. If a second offense occurs within three years, it’s $150.

Hawaii, by comparison, can cost you close to $300 for a first offense. Alaska considers using an electronic device while driving a criminal offense, with fines for a first-time offense up to $10,000 and up to a year in prison. If that distraction leads to a collision with injury, you’re talking felony: fines up to $50,000 and up to five years in prison.

Idaho’s current fine of up to $85 for texting while driving simply isn’t broad enough to make meaningful progress in getting drivers focused on the right things. SB 1315 could move that needle significantly.

The bill now heads to the House Transportation Committee, where a similar House bill has stalled. Perhaps the Senate version will turn the proper keys, and some sanity in the Idaho Legislature will merge into sanity on Idaho’s roads.