Now Think Now

A new proposal in the Indiana House would ban texting while driving for everyone and make it punishable by a $500 fine. No longer will teens be singled out...

A legislative committee sent a message to Indiana motorists Wednesday: "Dont txt & drive."

The House Public Policy Committee voted 11-0 to make it illegal for motorists to send text or e-mail messages while driving. Current state law bans using telecommunications devices, such as for cell calls or texting, but only for those younger than 18.

The vote came a day after the federal government banned texting while driving for commercial bus and truck drivers, and about four months after President Barack Obama banned most federal employees from texting when they get behind the wheel.

Rep. Joe Pearson, the Hartford City Democrat who authored House Bill 1279, cited research by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. That research shows drivers take their eyes off the road an average of 4.6 seconds for every six seconds spent sending and receiving text messages.

"At 55 miles per hour," Pearson said, "this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road."

Sherry Deane, a spokeswoman for the AAA Hoosier Motor Club, said texting is more dangerous than drunken driving.

"Recent studies show that text messaging decreases a person's reaction time by 35 percent," she said, "and their steering control by 91 percent."

Such stats and more are why 19 states, including Illinois, as well the District of Columbia and Guam have banned text messaging while driving. Many others are considering versions of the proposed law.

HB 1279 would make sending a text message or e-mailing while driving a Class C infraction punishable by up to a $500 fine.

While some lawmakers questioned the difficulty of enforcing a ban, several said that merely having the law on the books will warn motorists of the danger, prompting them to hang up their phones and cut down on the number of accidents.

Since 2001, bills have been introduced in the legislature to clamp down on the use of cell phones while driving but have not been successful. Pearson said lawmakers aren't ready to take that step yet, as cell phones have become an accepted part of people's lives and new automotive technology is integrating them into cars.

The Indiana Senate also was looking Wednesday at ways to make the highways safer. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted 8-0 for Senate Bill 247, which says a court may prohibit a person convicted of operating a vehicle while intoxicated from driving for at least 90 days if the vehicle is not equipped with an ignition interlock device.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving had sought to have Indiana join the 12 states that require ignition interlocks for all first-time convicted drunken drivers. But Sen. Richard Bray, the Martinsville Republican who is chairman of the committee, said he thinks judges need to be afforded discretion because "not every case is the same."
 

Source: http://www.indystar.com/article/20100128/NEWS05/1280475/House-panel-says-CUL8R-to-texting-in-car