Should Text Sender Be Responsible For Crash?

By Jason Koestenblatt

Three appellate judges ruled last week that if a person sends a text message to someone else, knowing the receiver is driving, the sender could be at fault if the interaction results in a crash.

Laws against the use of cell phones and other handheld devices have grown in recent years, but the new New Jersey legislation was born from a crash that occurred in Morris County, when a text message receiver crashed and severely injured two other motorists.

The new ruling establishes that if a driver crashes because he or she was distracted by an incoming text message, the person who sent it can be partially at fault if they knew the receiver was behind the wheel.

We want to know what you think of this new legislation and if the appellate judges made the proper ruling. Tell us in the comments!