BOISE -- It has been nearly one year since the first death was confirmed to have been caused by texting while driving.
In the last year, Meridian, and Twin Falls banned texting while driving. But it is something that is covered by all agencies, including Idaho State Police, under the umbrella of inattentive driving.
It's an issue that KTVB found could be the most dangerous on the road.
18-year-old Kassandra Kerfoot was driving while texting on Eagle Road last December when she swerved into oncoming traffic. She was killed when she collided head-on with a pickup truck.
Kassandra's mother, Liz Catherman, has spent the better part of the year lobbying local and federal lawmakers to create texting laws so other mothers might be spared the heartbreak she suffered on that December night.
"On Dec 29th, 2009...my daughter made a couple of poor decisions...she decided to text and drive and not wear her seatbelt." said Liz Catherman. "When you're on that public road you're involving the public and the public has a right to be safe on the roads."
After failing to get a state-wide texting bill through the capital last session, Caldwell Senator John McGee said he is now crafting a bill for this session that should satisfy the skeptics.
"Texting while driving is 30 times more dangerous than even drinking while driving," said John McGee in January.
Meridian Motor Officer Will Stoy would probably agree with that after the incident that could have taken his life in the spring of 2008.
A texting driver slammed into his bike while he was on it on as he assisted a stranded motorist on Eagle road.
These are just two stories of texting disasters out of the countless others reported and not.
"There's plenty of things happening on the roadway, that the fewer distractions we have the better." said John Gonzalez, Meridian Police Department.
That is part of the reason Twin Falls and Meridian put specific texting while driving laws on their books this year. Fines and possibly jail time have been written into the code.
After a initial warning period in Meridian that ends on December 1st, things will get very serious.
"I'm going to be very vigilant. I'm assigned to the traffic unit and this is gonna be something we are really looking out for," said Stoy.
"The most common one I see is them holding onto the steering wheel with two hands on the phone, and I'll stop em and issue an inattentive driving citation." said Corp. Scott Tulleners, Idaho State Police
But, the question remains, when will this sink in with texting drivers who think they can do both?
Between television and Internet warning spots, print ads, and even billboards -- the awareness push is on. But unless you can see how reaction time drops while texting and driving, you might not feel pressured to quit.
KTVB's Mark Johnson took a test on the Idaho State Police track in Meridian.
The track posed very little problem with two hands on the wheel at 35 miles per hour.
But while texting, Mark felt like he could stay between the lines while texting at a slower speed. He slowed to about 30 miles per hour but ended up out of his own lane.
It is eye opening for someone who thought it would not be much trouble to multi-task behind the wheel at moderate speeds, but it has become an awakening that society is beginning to get behind according to those on the roadway's front lines. Looking for people who are texting while driving is something law enforcement say will become a priority.
In Meridian, it will cost drivers caught texting while driving $126.00 in fines, and court costs for the first two infractions. If someone is caught a third time, they could face time behind bars.
In Twin Falls, texting drivers will pay a $50.00 fine and up to $300.000 if they are cited with an inattentive driving charge.
