On the matter of distracted driving any police involvement will be a good thing. Cellphone use has increased dramatically over the past decade. In today’s society, a majority of people, including both youth and adults, carry cellphones. It has become the norm for people to take their phones with them everywhere because of how convenient they are.

Due to their convenience, it has become reflexive for some to stop and check their phone multiple times a day, wherever they are. This includes using their phone while driving. Distracted driving is the leading cause of car accidents in the U.S. according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

According to the National Safety Council, roughly 40,000 people died as a result of motor vehicle accidents in 2016. Distracted driving is not limited to cellphone use and has been an issue before cellphones became as common as they are today. It is all too easy for someone to take out their phone while driving.

Even a driver who is distracted for only a few seconds can cause tragic accidents. Millions of people die each year from such accidents caused by cellphone use. At Oswego State, University Police have adopted a new approach to distracted driving.

Officers in unmarked police cars have begun pulling over students they see texting while driving. While it is too early to know if this tactic will prove effective, the policy itself has caused some debate. While others feel the police are overstepping their authority, this is a good approach. It is all too easy to take law enforcement for granted.

It is important to consider what the role of police is in society, as well as what their role is on campus. Some people may be worried that this is an invasion of privacy. Whenever the police begin to take a more active role in something, there will be genuine concerns about personal freedoms.

This is not to say that we should oppose police officers whenever they get involved in a new way. It is hardly an invasion of privacy for an officer to notice that somebody is on their phone while driving. Officers are simply trying to make things safer. Distracted driving is one of the leading unnatural causes of death, and University police are simply taking the time to make an effort to combat that.

Photo: by viviandnguyen via flickr