A $25 fry.

A $25 sip of Coke.

A $25 text to your friend.

What you do when you’re driving could be getting a bit more expensive.

Iowa Senate Study Bill 1217 is proposed legislation that would expand the offense of careless driving to include driving while distracted. The fine: $25 — if you commit a driving violation or are involved in an accident while “distracted,” according to the Des Moines Register.

The bill aims to encourage better driving by curbing the bad distractive habits many drivers engage in on a daily basis.

That’s great. Nobody needs another car swerving across three lanes of traffic because a driver dropped their  Whopper value meal all over their lap.

The problem with this proposed legislation isn’t the intent, but rather its broadness and lack of an effective plan for enforcing the law. The broadness starts with the list of “distracting” activities proposed in the bill:

Using a cellular telephone, text messaging, using a computer or video game device, viewing a television or digital video disc player, personal grooming, eating, drinking, reading, writing, interacting with pets, reaching for or maneuvering unsecured cargo, or interacting with passengers in the back seat.

And what you can still do:

Converse with passengers, use a Global Positioning System device, use an installed audio system, use an amateur radio, or call 911.

You can’t argue with the danger of texting, and it would be ridiculous to argue against many of the activities on this list. But taking a drink? Making a phone call to let your parents know you are OK? Explain the difference between conversing with a person using a hands free phone and conversing with the person in the seat next to you.

Here’s the deal. We feel texting is being used as the catalyst to push through a bill that includes activities you can’t possibly control with a $25 fine – on to the lack of an effective plan.

The $25 fine is not a penalty that will keep people from doing these behaviors. The motivation not to text should come from an understanding of the danger it causes for all drivers on the road. Idealistic? Sure, but that is the lesson that needs to be taught, not a rule that needs to be made. While we’re at it, let’s try and limit the list to behaviors that are “inherently dangerous” like Sen. Keith Kreiman is recommending. While we are against this particular bill, we urge everyone to consider their “distractive” behaviors while driving.

Yes, that means put down your Blackberry, put two hands on the wheel, and stop reading editorials while you drive.