Fred Schultz Automobile Accidents Law Blog on Lawyers.com

Indiana’s ban on texting while driving became official on July 1, 2011.  We at Greene & Schultz are in favor of responsible driving habits, including limiting distractions for drivers.  Reasonable efforts to promote safe driving habits just make sense and saves lives.  As this article explains, the human brain is simply not capable of processing all the information necessary to drive safely while simultaneously texting.  In fact, texting drivers tend to have their eyes on the road only 1.4 of every 6 seconds.  At 55mph, that driver will travel nearly the length of a football field WITHOUT LOOKING at the road, or, as this driver did, the length of a local business.  This study from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute demonstrates that motorists who text while driving are 23 times more likely to be involved in a collision. 

Not sold on the idea yet?  Here are some additional facts and figures relating to distracted driving: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (NHTSA) 20% of all collisions in 2009 involved some type of distracted driving; According to (FARS and GES), in 2009, nearly 5,500 people were killed on US roadways in 2009 and additional 448,000 were injured in collisions that were reported to have involved distracted driving.  According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers who use handheld devices are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.

The NHTSA recently reported that handheld cellphone use and texting while driving dropped sharply in Syracuse, N.Y., and Hartford, Conn., during four periods of stepped-up enforcement coupled with media campaigns similar to the “Click it or Ticket” program. This article from USA Today details the pilot program launched by the NHTSA.  These findings come on the heels of a call from the Governors Highway Safety Association cautioning restraint before enacting additional mobile device bans for drivers. The GHSA had requested more data demonstrating the efficacy of these bans.

While we don’t yet know just how effective these laws will be in preventing collisions, injuries and fatalities, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said, “These findings show that strong laws, combined with highly visible police enforcement, can significantly reduce dangerous texting and cellphone use behind the wheel.  It is crystal clear that those who try to minimize this dangerous behavior are making a serious error in judgment, especially when half a million people are injured and thousands more are killed in distracted-driving accidents.”

We know that the Click it or Ticket program increased seat belt use to 85% in 2010.  We know that Public Service Announcements and highly visible police enforcement work to change societal norms that have allowed dangerous (distracted, drunk or otherwise inebriated) driving, so that drivers think twice before getting behind the wheel and potentially wreaking havoc on total strangers or their own families and friends.  We hope that the “Phone in one hand, ticket in the other” campaign is effective in getting drivers to rein in this irresponsible activity.

The bottom line is that safer driving habits lead to less car wrecks, less injuries, and less tragedies for people and families.  Betsy and I have handled thousands of cases over the years of people were seriously injured or killed in car crashes because of the negligence of other drivers.  Anything we can do to reduce the number of serious injuries and fatalities on Indiana’s roadways should be considered.  And, when we’re talking about something like this, simply making it illegal to text while driving, it’s a slam dunk. 

So do yourself and everyone else on the road a favor, don’t text and drive – it’s the law!