Its not an excuse, Get the message?

Lately there has been several deaths on New Zealand roads caused by drivers texting or talking on their cellphones, This is a problem worldwide. Late last year a drunk 20 year old who was texting, drove his vehicle through a stop sign and into another vehicle, Unfortunately the couple in the other vehicle were killed following the crash, The pair were in their 70s and were driving home after celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary. The only punishment the drunk texter received was home detention and loss of his drivers license for 3 years. Is that really an acceptable punishment? I don't think it is.

Cellphone distraction has contributed to 446 vehicle crashes, 34 deaths and 587 injuries in New Zealand since 1995.

This has made our government consider amending the land transport rules to make the practice illegal. Drivers would still be able to use hands-free devices, but the use of PDA's (Personal digital assistants) would be included in the ban. Are hands free kits just as dangeous? Studys have shown that it's not just the physical distraction, it's the sense of the driver being absent from the real driving situation. In the UK a survey back in 2002 shows drivers reaction times were severally impaired while using cellphones, and were as bad as being drunk. But official stats show cellphones are not the major cause of driver distraction. Smoking a cigarette, tuning a radio and reaching for the glove box all cause more crashes than cellphones.

This Law (if passed) will bring New Zealand into line with at least 45 countries, including Australia and the UK, where legislation to ban the use of mobile phones while driving is already in force, and if your caught by the police, You shall receive a penalty of NZ$50 (US$40) and 25 demerit points. Which in my opinion is pathetic? And once you have received 100 Demerit points (within a 2 year period) you lose your licence for a 3 months.

I find it difficult to understand why people need to call or text while driving, is life really that urgent? How the hell did people manage before cellphones existed?
In those countries where the use of mobile phones while driving has already been banned, Has the number of deaths caused by cellphone use been reduced?
Im curious of how many of you text while driving?