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Distracted driving, meaning driving while texting or otherwise using a phone or other handheld device, is being partly blamed for an increase in the number of road fatalities in North America, after years of decline. Nearly all states and provinces ban texting while driving and some don’t allow the use of handheld devices at all behind the wheel, but it’s hard to enforce the laws. The New York Times reports that a new way to do so using what’s called a “Textalyzer” is being considered in New York. Ripping off the name of the Breathalyzer test for alcohol, a police officer responding to an accident scene could use a Textalyzer to scan the phones of any drivers involved to see if they’d recently been used. If a driver refuses, he or she would have their driver’s license suspended for up to a year, just as is the case with refusing a Breathalyzer test. Privacy concerns have been raised, including by the ACLU, whose New York executive director said it, quote, invites police to seize phones without justification or warrant.”

What do you think of the idea of New York police being able to use a Textalyzer on the phones of drivers involved in accidents to see if any of them had been recently using their devices?  

Do you think it’s appropriate to have the punishment for refusing to be the same as it is for refusing a Breathalyzer in NY — the suspension of a driver’s license for up to a year?

What do you think of the privacy concerns being raised about this?

Do you emphasize to your teenagers who are old enough to drive to not be texting and driving as much as you emphasize not drinking and driving? (Pulse of Radio/New York Times)