Pay atten wen u drV

If you heard that a state legislator was offering a new provision on highway safety, how many guesses would you need to name him?

A state lawmaker is drafting legislation that would ban young motorists from sending text messages on their cell phones while they're driving because of the heightened risk of crashes involving distracted motorists.

"Nobody should be texting, nobody should be talking on the phone while driving," said Sen. Tom Wyss, R-Fort Wayne, who is working on two bills that would address the use of cell phones while driving.

Yep, everybody's favorite Nanny State whipping boy, seat belt Wyss, motorcycle helmet Wyss, open-container Wyss. I think cell-phone bans are an overreaction -- cell phones are among a slew of things that are more or less equally distracting, such as fiddling with the radio or talking to someone else in the car. But I think I'm with him on the texting. I've seen kids doing it, and it's scary as hell. They abbreviate everything, it's true, but texting still requires a higher level of concentration that just talking, and you can't do it without taking your eyes off the road from time to time.

At least 16 states are considering legislation that would outlaw or limit texting while driving, so expect to hear a lot about this in the ext few months.