Indiana law
In Indiana, lawmakers are moving to ban the use of cell phones while driving because of safety concerns. Cell phone use will not be banned entirely, though. Drivers will still be able to use hands-free or voice activated technology while driving.
Related: Reminding Teen Drivers To Not Use Cell Phones While Driving
Texting while driving statistics
According to the National Safety Council, 1,600,000 accidents related to texting while driving are recorded each year. There are also 11 teenage deaths every day, according to the Institute for Highway Safety Fatality Facts. One study even cites texting while driving as six times more likely to cause an accident as driving while intoxicated. This is very alarming as some young drivers assume it’s okay to use cell phones while driving. As many of us know, it’s not. Using your cell phone while driving is very dangerous!
According to data shared in an infographic by Online Schools, 13%of drivers ages 18-20 involved in car crashes admitted to using their cell phones at the time of the crash. Not only that, 77% of young adults are somewhat confident they can safely text while driving. Another 55% of young adult drivers say it’s easy to text and drive. This is a problem, because teens who text and drive spend approximately 10% of their driving time outside of their lane. This means that, not only are young drivers who engage in texting while driving are put in danger, others they’re sharing the road with are also exposed to harm.
Related: Cell Phone Use While Driving
How’s Kentucky so far?
In an article published on Kentucky.com last May 2013, it was reported that fewer than 1,000 of Kentucky’s 3.15 million drivers have been cited by police two years after our state banned texting while driving and cell phone use for young drivers. According to the data from the state Administrative Office of the Courts, police issued 976 citations from January 2011 to Feb. 6 2013. There might be more actual cases of texting while driving but they may not have been recorded. Police stated that one of the challenges they face is the fact that it’s hard to tell whether someone is using their phone while driving.
As a Kentucky Accident Attorney, I encourage everyone, especially those with young drivers at home, to be strict about not using cell phones while driving. Let’s set a good example for our kids and not use our cell phones while driving. Safe driving starts with us. Please put your cell phones away while you are driving.