Obama bans federal employees from texting while driving

More and more people continue to get the message that text messaging behind the wheel is insanely dangerous. The latest: President Obama, who signed an executive order this week banning federal employees from the practice.

The new rule covers all federal employees whenever they're behind the wheel of a government-provided vehicle or on official business in their own cars. There's no grace period on this one: The order is already in effect.

More crackdowns on in-car electronics are on the way, too, including a ban on texting and possibly all cell phone use by bus drivers and long-haul truckers. That could pose a bit of a challenge for truckers: Computers in the driver's cab are regularly used to keep in touch with dispatchers. The Department of Transportation says it expects a finished rule governing truckers may take months to finalize with the proper "nuance."

At the end of the linked article above, a great point is raised: That all of the current emphasis on banning text messaging overlooks the dangers of talking on cell phones while behind the wheel, a practice that is much more widespread, though by most accounts considerably less dangerous. Are we ignoring what might actually be a bigger problem in order to grab a little low-hanging fruit? And wouldn't it be easier to address all of these issues at the same time, like pulling off the proverbial Band-Aid?

Oh, politics!