Punish texting while driving as harshly as drunken driving – San Diego Union-Tribune

Re “Lawmakers push to crack down on dangerous driving” (Feb. 8): Don’t lawmakers drive on our roads? Basically, the article focuses on DUI. “California is the epicenter of America’s DUI and drunken driving epidemic,” one lawmaker is quoted as saying. At least drunken drivers are looking at the road on which they are driving.

“Drivers” who are texting while attempting to drive are not. They are focused on their cellphones, not the road. Yet a DUI offense is 1,000 times more punishable than a “Texting While Driving” (TWD) ticket. Why?

— Allen Stanko, Alpine