Miner & Lemon Blog

DO YOU TEXT & DRIVE? DISASTER ON INDIANA HIGHWAYS!

Texting While Driving – A Recipe for Disaster on Indiana Highways 

            Indiana State Senator Dennis Kruse, R-Auburn, found out the hard way that speaking on a cell phone can be a distraction while driving when he lost control of his own vehicle while talking on his phone and ended up in a ditch.  That experience caused him to author Senate Bill No. 119, which proposes to make it a Class D infraction for a person less than 18 years of age to drive while using a hand-held mobile phone.  He hopes that once the bill gets a hearing that it can be expanded to include older drivers. 

            Even more disturbing, there is evidence that a huge percentage of drivers, especially young ones, are blending the tasks of driving and text messaging.  A recent Zogby poll revealed that 66 percent of drivers in the 18 to 24 age range confessed that they use their phones to text while driving.  Currently, only two states (Washington and New Jersey) have passed statutes prohibiting driving while texting.  Hopefully, Indiana will take the lead in eliminating this class of distracted drivers from our highways so that potential auto-related tragedies might be avoided.