“I have a lot of friends that when they text, they cannot think.”
Holli Loar, BYU-Idaho student
I’m one of those people who have a hard time chewing gum while walking, so I’d fit right in in Rexburg, Idaho (population 17,257). Town leaders there recently passed a law banning texting while walking. Correction: the law actually bans only texting while crossing the street. Common sense might suggest texting and walking in traffic don’t mix, but why did Rexburg feel compelled to pass a law? The town can’t cite any accidents—just some close calls—and there are no national statistics on texting while walking. Still, town leaders say the law will ensure the safety of its citizens. Critics argue it will ensure fat coffers for the town: fines are $50 for first offense and $150 for subsequent violations. Rexburg, home to BYU-Idaho, stands to make a pretty penny on the university’s 15,000 texting-addicted students. But students say the town might be on the right track. A hit to the pocketbook gets the message across and hurts a lot less than getting hit by a two-ton truck.
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