Opinion

Life first

Opinion of the Citrus County Chronicle
Florida Voices
Published: December 8, 2012

The recent Florida Distracted Driving summit in Tampa brought a swath of interests together, united in concern about activities that take motorists' eyes off the road, hands off the wheel and focus away from driving. Law enforcement, state and federal transportation officials, medical professionals, insurance concerns and others at the summit were in broad agreement that failure to acknowledge and act upon the dangers of distracted driving is to further court disaster.

House Speaker Will Weatherford, R-Land O' Lakes, according to the Ocala Star-Banner, is willing to consider safety measures but is concerned for "individual rights." While that's fine and dandy from one standpoint, driving is a privilege and the highways are not the domain of any one motorist. Were that the case, drinking and driving would be acceptable, there would be no seat belt law and speed limits would simply be a suggestion.

While education and technological advancements that enable improved attention to driving — such as hands-free mobile phones — are imperative, more is needed. If a motorist is pulled over for reckless driving, and is texting, gabbing on the phone or all-around multitasking, law enforcement should have the ability to dissuade such behavior with a similar bite to what one receives if not wearing a seatbelt, ignoring speed limits or blowing through a school zone.

According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, 3,000 Americans were killed last year in distracted-driving car crashes. While "individual rights" are important, "life" comes before "liberty and the pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration of Independence. It should come before "liberty and the pursuit of happiness" on our highways, too.