• The question for South Dakota drivers is not "To text, or not to text."
• Statistics make the answer to that quandary pretty obvious: Texting while driving makes a person 23 times more likely to die in a crash, according to research by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Texters draw their attention away from the road for up to seven seconds at a stretch--plenty of time for a car, an animal or a pedestrian to cross their path. A Car & Driver test showed that drivers were actually more impaired while texting than they were while drinking.
• The better question is the one for legislators: "To ban, or not to ban?"
• In the wake of a fatal accident related to texting, the Sioux Falls city council passed a texting-while-driving ban in early September--the first major locality in the state to do so, though other cities have discussed the possibility. The new ordinance, which takes effect Sept. 28, makes it a crime to send or receive electronic messages while driving within city limits. Violators could get a fine of up to $200 and 30 days in jail. Making handheld phone calls, using GPS navigation and using hands-free devices are all still legal in the city.
• South Dakota is one of just 11 states with no general ban on texting while driving, and one of just five states with no restrictions on the practice whatsoever.
• In the Dakotafire region, both law enforcement officers and young people seem to be generally in favor of a statewide texting-while-driving ban, but many remain dubious that such a ban would do much good.
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• Ban may have needed support
• An informal survey of Dakotafire region students showed that a slim majority would support a ban on texting while driving. Support for a ban was very strong among Clark sophomores, where all students interviewed supported such a ban, while support was just lukewarm among Webster seniors, where 10 of 22 would support it. Just over half of the Groton students surveyed would support a statewide ban.
• Support is stronger among law enforcement in the region. Chief Deputy Brent Koens and Faulk County Sherriff Kurt Hall, for example, expressed their strong support for a statewide texting ban in a joint comment submitted to the Faulk County Record.

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