Facebook status updates and the latest Instagram selfie taken on the go will have to wait if a potential new state law goes into effect that will prevent social media use while driving.

Under Sen. Dale Erdey’s Senate Bill 147, drivers will be prohibited from accessing, reading or posting to social media while operating a vehicle. The bill intends to close texting-and-driving loopholes and was approved by the committee and moved into consideration April 10.

LSU Police Department Spokesman Capt. Cory Lalonde said such a law would be equally difficult to enforce.

The legislation states, “No person shall operate any motor vehicle upon any public road or highway of this state while using a wireless telecommunications device to access, read or post to a social networking site.”

Lalonde said texting and using social media while driving already fall in the same category.

“It would be hard to enforce,” Lalonde said.

Lalonde said this law could work when there is a traffic crash with a near fatality and information from cellular service providers could be subpoenaed to see what type of activity was being used before the incident.

The current distracted-driving laws ban bus drivers and drivers younger than 18 from using cell phones while driving, as well as texting for drivers of all ages.

Beth Inbau, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, South Louisiana Chapter, said the legislative is ineffective because it does not ban all distractions.

“It does not matter whether you are on social media or texting — a distraction is a distraction,” Inbau said. “The distraction is a cognitive distraction.”

Anthropology and international studies freshman Emelie Reeves said she does not use social media while driving.

“I am so untalented with it, anyway,” Reeves said.

According to a study by Pew Research Center, 40 percent of American teens have felt endangered by a driver using a cell phone.

Nutrition and food science sophomore Matt Landry said distinguishing between social media and texting will be difficult.

“It’s foolish and hard to police,” Landry said.

The problem with the texting-and-driving ban — and the possible social media ban — is how difficult it is to pinpoint what drivers are doing on their mobile devices, Lalonde said.

“They may be looking up a phone number to make a phone call. Those types of offenses are not easy to definitively prove,” Lalonde said.

Lalonde said the LSUPD has not seen many texting and driving cases.

Richard Battista, sports administration sophomore, is from Washington, D.C., and is used to regulations like this. In his hometown, he said police pull citizens over for just holding cell phones.

“It’s something you shouldn’t be doing while driving,” Battista said.

Inbau said the National Safety Council released a position paper in 2009 to totally ban the use of cell phones, hands-free or handheld.

Defensive driving is ultimately about personal responsibility, Inbau said.

“We cannot legislate every little thing in your life,” Inbau said.

“We cannot legislate every little thing in your life.”