Nicole Teixeira of Derry has rifled off text messages while driving in the past, but will not anymore now that the governor signed a bill making the practice illegal as of Jan. 1.
"Will I feel safer knowing it is illegal?" the 23-year-old said. "Definitely. Definitely."
Gov. John Lynch banned text messaging and driving with the stroke of a pen yesterday. In addition, the law prohibits typing on computers and other devices while driving.
New Hampshire became the 16th state in the nation to ban the activity. Text messaging while driving is legal in Massachusetts. The New Hampshire law provides an exception for entering a name or number in a cell phone to make a call.
That raises an interesting question.
How would a law enforcement officer prove, if it came to it, that a driver was text messaging as opposed to entering a number into a cell phone? The officer would need to check the cell phone log, Pelham police Lt. Gary Fisher said. To do so, the officer would need the driver's consent or a search warrant, he said.
In any event, the law is a good thing and should make roads safer, Fisher said. Clearly, the attention of a driver who is text messaging is divided, Fisher said.
Londonderry police Chief William Hart said recent studies suggest text messaging while driving impairs drivers to an extent similar to intoxication.
If nothing else, the publicity surrounding the law should coax more people to keep their text messaging at bay while driving, Hart said.
Text messaging violators are subject to a $100 fine.
The only other New England state that bans text messaging and driving is Connecticut, but many other states are considering bans.
In New York, not only is text messaging while driving illegal, but so is talking on a cell phone unless the driver is using a hands-free headset.
Jody Walker of Plattsburgh, N.Y., who was vacationing in New Hampshire yesterday, said the Granite State's new law will definitely make roads safer, especially considering how fond young people are of text messaging.
"I have a 19-year-old daughter and she is a texting fool," Walker said.
Rocco DiPietro of Windham said he sees plenty of drivers engaged in electronic communication, text messaging or writing e-mails.
"I see people doing it all the time," he said.
The only driver surveyed yesterday who didn't think the new law was 100 percent a good thing was Dave Rioux, 43, of Auburn.
Rioux said he recognizes the safety advantages of having fewer drivers distracted by text messaging. But he also worries about the law eroding an individual's freedom to make their own choices.
"I think it's one of those things where we give up a little of our rights," Rioux said.
