FTR - I don't think driving while texting or talking on a cellphone is something minor. It is a serious offense that isn't punished or enforced strictly enough. The results of distracted driving, which includes using cellphones, can cause some serious consequences to the driver and/or other road users:
In 2010, 3092 people were killed in crashes involving a distracted driver and an estimated additional 416,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving a distracted driver.
18% of injury crashes in 2010 were reported as distraction-affected crashes.
11% of all drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash. This age group has the largest proportion of drivers who were distracted.
Drivers who use hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.
Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted.
Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%
Source:
Distraction.gov