Texting zones: The fight against texting and driving

Picture via Mashable 

The publicity surrounding texting and driving is one that is not going to go away any time soon. There have been numerous campaigns surrounding it, the inventions of things like of Bluetooth to avoid it, and pledges signed by celebrities in opposition to it. The latest fight against it is taking place in the state of New York and is the result of Governor Cuomo's invention of "texting zones". 

According to a recent Mashable article, new highway signs will say things like, "It can wait: text stop 5 miles". When I first read this article, I assumed that there would be spots designated just for answering calls and texts off of highways. However, this is not the case and the new spots will be existing rest areas and rest stops. Governor Cuomo is hoping that the new signs will simply act as reminders to drivers that they can safely address their phone calls and text messages in a timely, yet safe manner.

The state will issue about 300 signs to be placed on New York's highways and rest areas. According to Governor Cuomo, the situation has become so dire that creative ways to keep people safe need to be created. Safety needs to be the main concern and it has become evident that technologies like Bluetooth and Siri are simply not enough. 

I am curious as to whether or not this will be successful. Could a simple sign encourage drivers to hold off sending that one text to their friends? Would people really be willing to pull over at a rest stop just to get back on the busy highway 30 seconds later? I really have no idea whether or not this will be successful, but I truly hope it is. Technology will continue to evolve, but that requires people's intelligence to evolve as well. It's a simple problem with a simple solution. Don't text and drive.

To sign the "It Can Wait" pledge, click here. To read the full texting zones article, click here.