But not everyone is convinced that handheld devices pose the same sort of danger as drunk driving and question whether the federal government isn’t overstepping its bounds when it comes to limiting what you can and can’t do in your own car.

In a recent opinion piece, Ramesh Ponnuru, a senior editor for National Review, stated his reasons for opposing any sort of ban on distracted driving, including providing what he considers evidence that the NTSB inflated the risks associated with the use of handheld devices.

And the evidence for LaHood’s “epidemic” talk is overblown. Advocating the NTSB’s preferred ban, its chairman Deborah Hersman noted that 3,092 people had died in distracted-driving incidents in 2010. The Transportation Department estimates that Americans drove 3 trillion miles that year. That works out to 970 million miles driven for each distracted-driving fatality.

To put these numbers in further perspective: Drunken driving caused more than three times as many fatalities. And mobile phones were not the main cause of distractions, either, even if Hersman implied that they were. In 2009, the Transportation Department found that phones were either being used by or “in the presence of” a driver in 18 percent of distracted-driving fatalities. Another department report concluded that “conversing with a passenger was the most common source of distraction” from inside cars.

Ponnuru is hardly alone in his disbelief that distracted driving is as big a public safety hazard as the NTSB claims it is. Texas lawmakers have expressed serious doubts and said that any move to ban the use of handheld devices should be done at the municipal level, not statewide or nation wide.

While experts debate the merits of a distracted driving ban, many others see the questions as a moot point. They say that anything which might increase the level of safety on American roadways and decrease any traffic fatalities is worth the effort.

In all, 31 state troopers received warnings for excessive speed and are being made to attend a four-hour ethics course as a result of the findings.

The Sun Sentinel discovered the speeding officers after an investigation into toll records. The tool booths record the speed and license plate of vehicles which pass by, regardless of whether or not they pay the toll. The newspaper used these toll records to identify 5,100 instances of officers from a dozen different South Florida police agencies driving above 90 mph during a 13-month period. Many times the officers were not only speeding while off duty but also while outside their jurisdictions.

In one instance an officer was caught speeding at more than 100 mph while en route to his off-duty job.

Adding to the furor over this report are the facts about crashes caused by speeding officers which were also collected by The Sun Sentinel staff. Since 2004, speeding cops in Florida have caused at least 320 crashes and 19 deaths. So this is more than a public relations nightmare for the Florida Highway Patrol, it is also a matter of public safety.

Many drivers don’t realize that police and emergency vehicles are required to follow the same traffic laws they are. A police cannot exceed the posted speed limit unless it is an emergency situation. And going to their off-duty job or heading home for lunch do not constitute emergency situations.

Police officers are also required to pass rigorous driving tests and meet very specific requirements for the privilege of enforcing the law. While three dozen police officers are now facing the music for speeding, hundreds more have been doing their job properly and maintaining a safe speed at all times.

The California State Senate approved a measure which would ultimately raise the fine for anyone caught using their cell phone while behind the wheel.

Senate Bill 1310 increases the fines for breaking the hands-free and no texting laws from $20 to $30 for a first-time offense, and from $50 to $60 for subsequent offenses.

The total cost of a first offense, including penalties, would rise to roughly $199, depending on the county. Second offenses would cost about $371

According to a press release, the extra money from the tougher law would be used to fund a distracted driving education program in the California Office of Traffic Safety.

California Highway Patrol has repeatedly conducted distracted driving campaigns focused on finding and ticketing drivers who refuse to put down their cell phones or other handheld devices while trying to navigate California highways. Despite these increased patrols, hundreds of drivers have been caught and hundreds more are still doing it–hence the increased fines.

And the effort to curb distracted behavior on the roadways doesn’t stop with cars. If passed SB1310 would also levy fines on bicyclists who ride distracted. They would pay just $20 for first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense, and with no fees and would not get a point on their record for second offenses, but the bill is being supported by the California Bicycle Coalition which means it has bilateral support.

Repeated studies have shown that distracted driving behaviors, whether it is talking on a cell phone, sending and receiving text messages; updating social media or even sending and receiving emails, all leads to an increased risk of having a vehicle collision. Every vehicle collision adds to the costs everyone pays for insurance; increases the risk of serious of injury or death and generally causes a lot of problems for everyone who rides or drives on the roads.

Some have argued that driving with a dog on your lap (is it even possible to drive with a cat in your lap?) is no less dangerous than driving with a cell phone to your ear, or texting and driving. They consider driving with a ‘lapdog’ to be just another form of distracted driving. Their arguments failed to sway Illinois law makers however, who have themselves failed to fully endorse the measure.

Illinois State Senator Martin Sandoval, chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, said he was himself a dog lover, but also said that driving with a dog in your lap was dangerous no matter how small or well behaved the dog was.

The final vote was 21-27 with two abstentions, showing that the issue is certainly important enough to garner almost enough votes, but not quite enough to pass. The dispute seemed to fall along party lines with Democrats more or less in favor and Republicans opposed. Opponents of the new law said the state had better things to worry about than ‘lap dogs’, citing current economic struggles and their supporters agreed.

It seems unlikely that the issue will go away, however, as some driving safety experts have been putting the spotlight on all forms of distracted driving. And yes, there have been numerous accidents attributed to drivers who had dogs or other pets loose in the car with them.

Given the abundance of evidence that distracted driving of any kind is leading to more traffic fatalities than even driving under the influence of alcohol, it seems like a good idea that drivers avoid any and all distractions when they get behind the wheel.

By wrestle, I mean wrangled-got it off the road and stowed away safely so it could be transported back into the wild where it belongs.

Wild animals pose a driving hazard to just about anyone using the roads any where. It might be a deer or a opossum, or even an alligator. It all depends on where you live and what lives near where you drive.

How many cars do you usually pass during your drive to work every morning?

These statistics come the heels of a massive effort to focus attention on the dangers of distracted driving. The California Highway Patrol has recently been focusing nearly exclusively on enforcing the state’s distracted driving ban, but still, the numbers show that many drivers simply are not getting the message.

The results showed an increase in distracted drivers; the overall rate was 10.8% of drivers were using their phone in some way while behind the wheel. During a similar observational study last year, only 7.3% of drivers were distracted by phones.

While there were increases in every age group, the California Office of Traffic Safety says the most dramatic increase was in the 16-to-25-year-old group, reportedly doubling from 9% in 2011 to 18% in 2012.

This younger group of drivers is more comfortable using smartphones to stay in contact, and utilize various apps.

“Now that smartphones are becoming the majority, people are using them more often and in many more ways. This might be helpful in a lot of places, but definitely not behind the wheel,” said OTS Director Christopher J. Murphy in a press release.

These numbers come from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which records all vehicle crashes and compiles statistics accordingly. The NHTSA is the same group which released a study in December that showed that the number of traffic fatalities caused by distracted driving had eclipsed those caused by crashes caused by driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. This led to multiple calls for a nationwide ban on the use of handheld devices by all drivers, with so far just a handful of states following through.

The reason for the national decline in traffic fatalities has something to do with an increase in driver safety; more driving education and more awareness of the dangers faced by everyone who gets into a vehicle and hits the road. It also has something to do with an increase in the safety and quality of our bridges and roads; our awareness of traffic problems, ways of diverting and directing vehicles, and controlling the flow of cars and trucks.

More than anything else, perhaps, the decline in annual deaths from traffic crashes is caused by an increase in the overall safety and quality of the vehicles we drive. Our cars today are safer. Seat belts are just the start of the safety package in cars today. Driver side and passenger side air bags; side curtain air bags, collision avoidance systems; smart cars which help you maintain better control; better tires, better brakes and reinforced automobile bodies that can take more punishment than ever before.

But whatever the underlying cause of the decline traffic fatalities, it stands as a testament to the continued efforts by multiple industries and groups at keeping us safe and sound in the cars that we drive.

Aggressive driving simply does not make sense no matter how you look at it. First, you use more gas when you drive aggressively than when you drive defensively. With gas prices hovering at their highest levels in forever, calming down behind the wheel will save you a few bucks for sure.

Also, aggressive drivers are more likely to take risks like speeding, weaving in and out of traffic, inciting other drivers into personal confrontations. None of this is good for your heart, or your pocketbook if a cop spots you doing it. It is also more likely to lead to a vehicle crash, which in turn means more money out-of-pocket to pay your insurance.

Do yourself a favor if you’re driving in Florida, or any where: Calm down, take it easy and enjoy the ride. Your life might just depend on it.

State troopers are on the hunt this week for the all-too-common South Florida driver: one who speeds, tailgates and weaves dangerously in and out of lanes.

This week, the Florida Highway Patrol has stepped up ticketing of aggressive car and truck drivers on Florida highways. The enforcement campaign lasts through Friday.

The week-long enforcement aims to reduce the number of fatal crashes involving cars and commercial trucks, the Highway Patrol said. In 88 percent of those crashes, both the truck driver and car driver were at fault, the agency said.

It might frustrate you (and most other drivers) but it is perfectly legal, and a good way to convince drivers there are advantages to using other means of transportation than cars.

A recent survey by the California Office of Traffic Safety found that more than half of all drivers in the state fail to realize that “lane splitting” is perfectly legal. In fact, almost 20 percent of those same drivers admit they have actually tried to prevent motorcyclists from doing it because they believed it was illegal (or at least unfair.)

May is Motorcycle Awareness Month and the California Office of Traffic Safety is focusing on helping all drivers increase their awareness of motorcycles and the laws they must follow. There is room on the road for everyone, but we all have to learn to get along. If not, that’s when accidents happen and nobody wants that.

Lane splitting has been a subject for controversy and confusion for years. The OTS survey showed that only 53 percent of vehicle drivers knew that lane splitting is legal in California. Eighty-seven percent of motorcycle riders say they lane split, while seven percent of vehicle drivers admit to having attempted to prevent it.

The key to legal lane splitting for motorcycle riders is doing so in a safe and prudent manner, being cognizant of overall traffic speeds, speed differences, spacing and lane changing patterns of surrounding traffic. Riding too fast is one of the most common things that motorcyclists do to make lane splitting unsafe.

Motorists and other road users are reminded to safely “share the road” with motorcycles during May, and throughout the year, and to be extra alert to help keep motorcyclists safe. Changing the driving habits of motorists and motorcyclists alike will help decrease the numbers of motorcyclists killed and injured in crashes. Motorcyclists are reminded to make sure that they are visible to motorists, and that they follow the rules of the road. All road users are reminded to never drive, ride, walk or bicycle while distracted or under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Teens are also more at risk for distracted driving crashes. Seeing as how they are also the most likely users of handheld devices this makes sense.

What does not make sense is why, after all the emphasis we place on keeping kids safe, we have such a high rate of traffic fatalities for them once they start driving.

To counter this trend police, public safety officials, insurers, parents and educators are taking advantage of Global Youth Traffic Safety Month to spread the message that this group needs careful attention to remain safe and make it to adulthood. There are a number of programs in place by insurance companies and even the American Automobile Association to reward safe drivers and those who work hard at promoting traffic safety for teens. They hope that teenagers will go on summer vacation and focus more on their safe driving skills and spread the message to their friends, creating a viral movement of safety.

Another effort is in reminding teens and their parents that when they drive with friends in their car the chance of them having a serious accident dramatically increase. If they have an adult in the vehicle with them, or are just aware that an adult is monitoring their driving behavior, their chances of having a serious crash falls dramatically. This seems like proof enough of the importance of focusing on teen driving and letting them know that you care and that you are watching.