Imagine yourself driving blindfolded for about the length of a football field. That’s what Sgt. Todd Ringle of the Indiana State Police said it’s like when motorists text and drive.
“At 55 miles per hour, your vehicle is traveling 80 feet per second and you really don’t know where you’re going because your eyes are down,” said Ringle.
According to a recent survey issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), texting while driving increased 50 percent last year despite several states, including Indiana, banning the practice.
Nearly two out of 10 drivers say they’ve sent messages while driving.
Keli Reese is adamant against texting while driving and will even halt a text “conversation” if she knows the other party is driving.
“It’s not like it’s a book or anything – it’s quick,” said Joe Sullivan who admits to texting and driving.
Indiana was the 32nd state to ban all motorists from texting while behind the wheel. The law became effective last July 1, with fines up to $500.
The law is restricted to the reading, writing and sending of text messages while a vehicle is in motion.
Ryan Klitzsch, division director of traffic safety for the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute said since Indiana’s law is so new, there isn’t much data to measure how the law is working in the state.
“This is a great example of policy catching up with technology,” added Klitzsch who maintains that despite recent reports, Hoosiers are well aware of the law.
The law has been on the Indiana books for five months, but Patrolman Kendale Adams, public information specialist for the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department said it is difficult to enforce.
“Because of the way the law is written, officers have to observe the texting and they can’t confiscate the phone,” said Adams.
Sgt. Ringle, who is the unofficial spokesperson on texting while driving for the Indiana State Police, agrees. There are officers who work hard to find those violations, but there are many that don’t enforce the law because of its problematic nature.
He said that from July 1 to Dec. 9, the Indiana State Police issued 46 traffic tickets and 40 warnings specifically for texting while driving. Patrolman Adams reports that IMPD issued two tickets this year.
Both Ringle and Adams hope that lawmakers revise the law’s language to be more specific – it would be easier to enforce a “no cell phones under any circumstances while driving” type of law.
In the meantime, if officers aren’t able to clearly distinguish texting from using a cell phone, drivers may be stopped for other traffic violations.
Experts say that because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction.
“Unfortunately it’s going to take a serious crash where multiple people are killed to get people to understand how serious this is,” said Ringle.
