Desean is conducting research to support his claim that the penalty for texting while driving in his home state of california should be more severe than a $20 fine for first-time offenders. he finds this text in a reliable source.(1) in the united states, the punishment for driving while texting varies greatly from state to state. (2) for instance, in alaska, there is a $1,000 fine for first-time offenders, while in california, the amount is $20, and in montana, it's not even illegal. (3) the bottom line is that texting while driving is extremely dangerous. (4) in fact, it makes the driver 23 times more likely to crash, and in 2010, eleven percent of drivers age 18–20 who crashed and lived admitted they were texting at the wheel.