They can fly with one eye closed and half of their brain asleep and still navigate better than a human driver texting in traffic.
For instance, his officers must directly observe a driver texting (as opposed to just looking down) for several seconds to pull him over, which is not easy on a freeway.
Insp Richard Mallett, of the Surrey Roads Policing Unit, said officers had also spotted a lorry driver texting with one foot on the dashboard.
The most surprising item, to me, was that "Teens whose parents limit their texting are also less likely to report being passengers in cars where the driver texted behind the wheel or used the phone in a dangerous manner while driving".
Finally, and ironically, the recent focus on distracted driving, in which drivers text or speak on their cellphones, may have distracted our attention from drunken driving.
And there have been efforts to encourage nationwide compliance, like a bill sponsored by Senator Charles Schumer, Democrat of New York, that would withhold a portion of transportation money to states that refuse to pass laws against drivers' text messaging.
The Department of Transportation said Mr. LaHood had long spoken out against drivers' texting and talking on cellphones.
The police hope that the answer among drivers texting or chatting on cellphones, or speeding or driving drunk, is no.
"Distracted driving has become a deadly epidemic on America's roads," said Mr. LaHood, who urges bans on drivers texting and using phones or other devices.
You don't see bus drivers texting (I hope).
