Texting laws making little difference

Posted at 8:13 AM on September 25, 2011 by Bob Collins (6 Comments)
Filed under: Crime and Justice

I don't text while driving. I don't have text services on my cellphone plan and I've never developed the talent to press the proper key on first try. Still, I admit to being distracted by the phone, especially when I use the GPS function. You have to push a button and you have to look at the phone. What's the difference in the danger of distraction between looking at it and pushing a few buttons when you're trying to find your destination, and looking at it and pushing a few buttons when you want to send a text? Probably not much except, perhaps, in the eyes of the law.

North Dakota's new ban on texting while driving is proving difficult to enforce, the Fargo Forum reports today, because it's too easy to say to the cop who just stopped you, "I was looking up a contact to make a phone call," which is still legal.

Minnesota is apparently finding the same difficulty in enforcing a similar law that went into effect in 2008.

Sgt. Jesse Grabow, the patrol's public information and safety officer serving the Detroit Lakes and Thief River Falls districts, said he personally has issued "maybe a dozen" tickets and probably twice as many warnings.

"There's no doubt about it; it's a difficult law to enforce, just because of the nature of (trying to) prove whether they're texting on their phone or just simply browsing through their address book to call somebody," he said.

In Clay County (Moorhead), only a few dozen tickets have been issued for texting-whilte-driving in the last three years. Statewide in North Dakota, only two tickets have been issued in the month or so since the law went into effect.

It may well be that short of banning cellphone use in cars (would that ban portable GPS use, too?), there's no legislation that's going to make a big difference.

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Comments (6)

Indeed, while texting may make for a slightly longer distraction while you try to find the perfect emoticon ;-) using a TomTom or an iPhone to find directions or the nearest gas station is just as distracting. Even with hands-free options, you still have to look at the results for an address or map direction.

Perhaps it's time for a weight-sensor in the passenger seat, and devices that only operate on the right-hand side of the vehicle? :)

Posted by Pej | September 25, 2011 9:00 AM

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The problem I think rests in the perception young people have about texting while driving. Some have strong feelings against it (similar to drunk driving) while others simply don't care. I know someone who a couple years ago was driving on a highway and ended up going into the guardrail on a curve because they were texting. Even after that, they still say they text and drive.

The problem is that how do you force someone to stop? Being able to look at a cell phone to see when a text was sent would be an invasion of privacy. Making phones not able to text when travelling at fast speeds would pose problems for trains, passengers, etc.

I still see many people texting while driving and it scares me. I can usually tell too because they start drifting into other lanes. I suggest the best attack would be to make it all classified as 'distracted driving' and make the consequences for that a lot higher. This would be able to include looking at an ipod to change a song, shaving, texting, etc.

As I said before, the problem isn't that it is dangerous- it's that people don't think it's dangerous. I've seen some good ads (Europe has some VERY graphic and real anti-texting ads ) that seem to help change SOME people's minds.

Posted by bench | September 25, 2011 9:52 AM

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Thanks bench,

Gosh, the video you attached would be an excellent tool for middle school and high schools to see the reality. I wonder if they have this in other languages like espanol?

Posted by Mary | September 25, 2011 11:16 AM

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solution to these technological diversions is going to be technological in nature.
Cars can already come with "lane assist" and/or "assisted breaking"
If you aren't drifting out of your lane, and you can consistently stop before hitting anything in front of you the only real way left to get into an accident is to fail to stop for a controlled intersection.

Once computers completely take over driving, people can text, and shave, and read all the want, and there will be much fewer accidents because automobiles will behave predictably.

Posted by jon | September 25, 2011 12:13 PM

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To quote the great philosopher inventor Jimi Hendrix: "The machines that we built will never save us."

Technology is great and horrible at once, but as powerful as it is, it's not omnipotent.

Real change ultimately occurs by people developing attitudes, which then guide their behavior.

That said, the consequence of getting zapped while texting and driving might develop attitudes and guide behavior pretty quickly.

Posted by Jim Shapiro | September 25, 2011 3:16 PM

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It's cars we need to find a replacement for.

But for now, is it really necessary to also gesture while driving and talking on the cell phone?

Posted by Jim!!! | September 26, 2011 10:00 AM

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