I've heard stories that texting while driving and using a cell phone while driving are just as dangerous as driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Does that mean the punishment should be the same? Utah seems to think so as the maximum punishment for distracted driving in Utah is up to 90 days in custody, and someone who kills another driver as a result of distracted driving gets the same exact punishment as a DUI defendant: 15 years in custody. 

The Arizona legislature is now considering a number of bills that would essentially ban using a cell phone while driving and texting while driving. The bill most likely to become to become law targets teenagers, but there is little reason to think adults are less distracted than teenagers. At most, the Arizona laws would lead to civil fines and no license suspensions and no jail time. But is that enough? 

According to NHTSA, over 3000 people are killed every year by distracted driving and up to 500,000 are victimized. If it is true that distracted driving is as dangerous as a DUI, shouldn't the punishments be similar? Or is it a double standard in which we punish DUI defendants more severely just because some members of our society think drinking alcohol in itself is immoral? And why should driving with an inactive illegal drug metabolite in one's system, with absolutely no driving impairment, automatically lead to jail time, heavy fines, and license revocation for one year, but something much more dangerous- distracted driving- only leads to fines? Shouldn't the punishment fit the crime and danger to society, and all else being equal, shouldn't the more dangerous activity get the stiffer sanction?