Why can't Sandpoint take the lead on texting issue?

The 3 p.m. news just now on NPR stated the following:  A driver who is driving 50 mph and texting will travel the length of a football field (300 feet) before looking up at the road again. Six thousand people were killed on the highways of the U.S. in 2008 as a direct result of texting while driving. Six thousand people. That’s nearly the entire population of the city of Sandpoint. It amounts to nothing less than an unnecessary slaughter.

The article did not comment on this but it seems to stand to reason that a person driving at much slower speeds would not look up for greater distances because the slower speed would give them a false level of comfort.

As I predicted, the state of Idaho failed to act. At the same time, the state of Washington made their laws more stringent. Several Idaho legislators commented that putting the law under the state’s careless or inattentive driving statute made it largely unenforceable (in other words, why bother).

 When will the city of Sandpoint stop looking for excuses and reasons why we can’t take action and find the courage to be a leader in this matter?

HELEN NEWTON

Sandpoint