Our Opinion: Known danger worsens

Texting while driving is among the most frequent traffic violations, the most difficult to enforce and the most dangerous.

According to an Associated Press story published Sept. 3, "the consensus among police, safety advocates and drivers is that the problem is only getting worse."

It's already serious. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates nearly 3,500 people were killed in crashes involving distracted in the mainland U.S. and Puerto Rico during 2015. The total represents an increase from 3,200 in 2014.

In addition, the number of distracted driving deaths involving cellphones was 476 in 2015, up from 406 the previous year.

The news story reports 46 states have laws against texting while driving, which include both sending and reading texts. In Missouri, texting while driving is prohibited only for drivers under age 22.

But law enforcement officials generally agree texting violations are difficult to prove in states that permit talking on cellphones.

"For the normal officer, in a car, it's very difficult to tell if someone is texting or just using their phone in another way," said Victor Flaherty, a Massachusetts chief of police quoted in the story.

The difficulty of proving a violation is exacerbated because motorists may decline to surrender their cellphones. And, according to safety advocate Deborah Hersman, "you don't have a breathalyzer or blood test to see if they are using their phones."

Ignorance of the law is not the issue. According to the story, surveys show most drivers are aware of the dangers of using cellphones while driving, but do it anyway.

A police officer quoted in the story said: "It's everyone, kids, older people - everyone. When I stop someone, they say, 'You're right. I know it's dangerous, but I heard my phone go off and I had to look at it.'"

Actually, you don't have to look at it.

You already know it isn't worth the risk.