Alabama has joined three dozen other states in banning texting while driving, though the law doesn't go into  effect till August 1st.
     Governor Bentley signed the bill today.
     Questions remain though...like the exceptions for getting GPS information and making emergency calls.
     How the statewide law will be enforced is yet to be determined.     
     Do officers have the right to download information from a phone to prove or disprove their allegation that a driver was in fact texting to a non-emergency number? Will the law give officers so much leeway that certain populations will be more likely to be ticketed?
     Texting while driving is dangerous, potentially deadly, and just plain stupid. And the new law may at least provide parents with some legal backup when they tell their kids not to do it. But I suspect it falls way short of actually dealing with the bigger issue of distracted driving. Like the huge TV sets masquerading as billboard lining many roads.