Fairground Road is kind of scary in general, especially since some people — many of whom drive very large vehicles — seem to think it’s Goochland’s own Autobahn. Not smart considering the number of blind curves, side roads and the constant threat of deer determined to increase your auto insurance. But last week I saw something truly terrifying: A teenager text messaging while driving Fairground Road. I figured that the odds of the kid wrecking before he got to Route 522 were about five to one.

Incidentally, earlier in the week I had read that lawmakers in New Jersey are moving forward a plan to ban texting while driving. It might well be the first and last time I will ever pen these words, but Virginia should absolutely follow in New Jersey’s footsteps.

The New Jersey bill, if approved, would fine drivers up to $250 for using mobile devices to send text messages and — most importantly — would allow police to stop anyone they see sending text messages while driving (unlike the state’s ban on using a handheld cell phone).

Texting isn’t just for teenagers anymore. Adults are increasingly addicted to their BlackBerrys and handhelds, reading and replying to e-mails at the most inopportune and insane of times — driving being at the top of that list.

The problem is undoubtedly more rampant in cities, where no one can seem to exist, much less hold down a job, without a wireless device connecting them to the Internet at all times. But I would argue that while it’s not an epidemic in rural counties, it’s even more dangerous here due to the unpredictable nature of the roads and their traffic. 

Now for the confession: I have — in the past — been guilty of texting while driving. Yes, even in Goochland. But I’m a reformed man, I swear it. 

In general, I dislike text messaging. It still seems slightly ridiculous to me and for a long time I could foresee no possible scenario where trying to type a semi-coherent message on those tiny keys could ever be more efficient than calling someone and saying it to them.

I was wrong (sort of). I’m not sure whether my texting skills have improved remarkably or the people I communicate with regularly have just become increasingly long-winded, but somehow texting is now a time-saver — to some extent.

And that is why it is tempting to use the technology while you’re on the road. It’s a way of saying just what you need to with no small talk. The downside, of course, is that texting while driving will inevitably cause an accident if you do it for long enough.

One of my friends recently got a new car that has a television screen on the dashboard. My initial reaction was to tell him that it was the worst idea I’d ever seen put into practice and I resisted the temptation to start a pool on how soon it would be before he got in a fender bender watching SportsCenter. What I didn’t understand at that time was that the television only worked when the car was parked, which is much better, but still somewhat ludicrous in my opinion.

The real problem, as I see it, is that as technology improves it makes out lives exponentially more complicated. When it starts to seem like you can’t wait until the end of your drive to type a message on your phone, we have a problem. Simplifying our lives might be the answer. But that’s easier said than done for many of us.

But maybe in the case of texting Virginia lawmakers could help us out by taking it out of our hands and making it illegal. That’s one right I wouldn’t terribly mind losing as long as the people I’m driving with lose it too.

—Wesley Hester