Texting while driving ban begins Friday
Study shows texting while driving increases crash rates 23 times.
Published Aug. 28, 2009
Starting today, anyone 21 years old and younger and texting while they drive can be fined up to $200. This new law is in response to a study last month by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, which found distractions caused by texting increase a driver's risk of crashing by 23 times.
Researchers Jeff Hickman and Richard Hanowski used naturalistic driving to gather the texting and driving data. Hickman and Hanowski equipped the cabs of long-haul trucks with cameras the size of pinheads, along with radars to tell closing distances, speed and other driving-related measurements.
Hickman said the use of drivers in their real environment, as opposed to a lab or testing facility, is unique to the research.
"Not only do we have detailed information on what happens during these events because we have the video and we have the sensors, but it's real-world driving," Hickman said. "It's not a simulator. It's not on a test track. It's people doing things they would normally do when they're driving."
Even though the research expresses the dangers of texting, Hickman said the enforcement of laws banning texting leads to a predicament.
"People involved in crashes have a lot of incentive to not say they were doing anything risky," Hickman said. "Obviously, they're not going to freely admit they were texting or they were using their cell phone. Unless someone sees them, they're not really going to divulge that information."
So far, 17 states and the District of Columbia have established laws completely prohibiting texting and driving for all ages. Several other states, such as Missouri, have some restrictions on the practice.
Columbia Police Department spokeswoman Jessie Haden said cases in which texting or cell phone abuse contributes to an accident are included in a police report, but for those who are 21 years or older, no additional fines are charged. Even though the law does not apply to all drivers, Haden said texting and driving is still dangerous.
"Clearly, we don't want anybody texting while they're driving, regardless of their age," Haden said.
In the U.S. Congress, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is sponsoring a bill that would make texting and driving illegal nationwide. If passed, each state would have to comply with the federal standards within two years of the law's initiation. Noncompliant states would lose 25 percent of their federal highway funding but would recover the lost funds once they meet standards. The bill has been referred to the Environment and Public Works committee in the Senate.
In May, Sen. Ryan McKenna, D-Arnold, sponsored a bill in an attempt to ban texting while driving for all Missourians. The bill, which passed the state Senate by a vote of 32-2, lost steam in the House and was ultimately added onto an omnibus crime bill. During this process, the language of the bill changed so it applied only to drivers who are under 21 years old.
Senate Transportation Committee Chairman Bill Stouffer, R-Napton, said enforcing the texting law is impossible. He said law enforcement personnel are not able to discern whether a driver is texting, calling someone using their cell phone or picking up a French fry they dropped under a car seat.
"We've got laws against inattention and that is really what these are going to be prosecuted under," Stouffer said.
He said he is not questioning the severity of this issue but is concerned with putting laws on the books that are impractical and unenforceable.
"The problem is inattention," he said. "We have laws against inattention right now. The government can't do everything. We need drivers to take partial responsibility."
