Legislature Considers Texting Ban To Prevent Road Accidents

The Indiana House of Representatives is considering legislation that would prohibit motorists from texting behind the wheel. The bill recently cleared the House Policy Committee and is now before the entire chamber. Some 19 states have already outlawed texting while driving for all age groups; currently, Indiana bans wireless device use including texting by drivers younger than 18.

An AAA Hoosier Motor Club official claims that DWT (driving while texting) is more dangerous than driving while intoxicated. “Recent studies show that text messaging decreases a person’s reaction time by 35 percent and their steering control by 91 percent,” the official said. The Indiana law, if enacted, would make texting a Class C infraction punishable by a fine of up to $500. The federal government wants to ban texting in all 50 states. This would require an act of Congress to implement, however.  In an initial step, the U.S. Department of Transportation recently banned bus and truck drivers from texting while operating a commercial vehicle.

As we mentioned in a previous post, although enforcement of these kinds of  well-intentioned laws and regulations may help to improve highway safety to some degree, the best way to avoid a road accident or a highway accident is to not be texting yourself and to keep an eye out for other motorists paying insufficient attention to the road.

If you have been injured by a texting truck or bus driver, or even a person texting in a passenger car, please call Young and Young in Indianapolis for a free consultation.  We have 55 years of experience to help you and your family obtain full compensation for your injuries caused by distracted drivers on Indiana roads.