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BY Kimberly Melchert
PUBLISHED: 07/30/2008
Correction:
The article incorrectly stated that drivers must violate another traffic law in order to be penalized. The law does not define whether the offense has to be primary or secondary. Therefore, authorities could interpret the law either way.
Minnesota drivers will have to keep their hands and thumbs on the wheel, and their eyes on the road Aug.1 when the no-texting-while-driving law goes into effect.
However, drivers must violate some other traffic law in order to be penalized. Texting and driving qualifies as a petty misdemeanor.
Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL- Minneapolis , who authored the bill, said texting is a major distraction and more people are beginning to text while they drive, especially a high percentage of teens and young drivers.
"There's all kinds of distractions that are dangerous," he said. "But I think that when one actually takes their eye off the road for more than a few seconds at a time that is especially dangerous."
Hornstein said the texting law is important in improving traffic safety in Minnesota, along with things such as decreasing other driving distractions and enforcing seat belt use.
"All of these things in tandem make our roads safer and cut down on deaths and injuries, which is our goal," he said.
Currently, six states have jurisdiction-wide bans on driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone, which includes text messaging, according to the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety. Overall, 18 other states have a texting ban, which in some cases is specific to all drivers, school bus drivers, drivers under 18, or for drivers with a learner's permit.
Many states that have passed such laws have done so because studies have shown an increase in crash risk when a driver uses a hand-held cell phone.
University law professor Steve Simon said he feels the new law is advantageous for drivers but he said it will be difficult to enforce specifically due to the ratio of drivers to traffic enforcement officers.
"I think probably most young drivers will ignore the law," he said. "It is going to be very difficult to enforce, because, as I understand it, kids can text without looking at the screen."
Still, Simon said that it would be a useful tool for parents to ensure that young drivers would not text and drive.
"It is a tool; it is statement of behavioral expectation which, again, kids will know," he said, "When we make something a law that is kind of the highest expectation of behavior."
Biology junior Mike Thorp said while he thinks the law is a good idea, it doesn't necessarily mean that he or other drivers will follow it. He does not think he will text less even with the new law in place.
"I think it is a good idea, I don't know anyone who has gotten in an accident directly from texting and driving," he said, "I'm sure there are plenty of people who have."
But Hornstein remains confident the texting law will be a success.
"A number of people will not do it just because it is law," he said. "We know that this will cut down on the bad behavior that exists here."
24 Comments
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that is a carzy law it is up
that is a carzy law it is up to the driver if the want to get into a car accident and have to pay for the other car repairs and have their insurence go up tpoo
yeah, except when that car
yeah, except when that car accident involves another involuntarily, which is most likely to happen because of YOUR inattentiveness. Ding-Dong
Yea your right but no one has
Yea your right but no one has the right to kill someone while there texting and driving.
law on top of law
The reason that this is law is so ridiculous is because it is essentially specifying an act of careless or reckless driving, which is a crime that a police officer could enforce if a driver ever did get in an accident, run a red light, get caught speed, or failing to signal while switching lanes. If there is evidence the said driver was texting while committing the alleged offense, the texting action itself could be deemed a factor of the infraction, which would allow the officer to give a ticket for the primary offense along with a secondary careless driving offense, which is generally a pretty serious misdemeanor to gross misdemeanor offense.
Hornstein is wrong when he says he believes the law will be a success. Police will generally not be able to tell if a person was checking their voice mail or texting a friend. Because there is not a law on record that bans general use of cell phone while driving, I predict patrol officer will generally not stop to enforce the specific texting law. The only time this texting law will ever come into play is after an accident occurs. If the driver admits in the police report they were texting while driving, I'm sure the offense would be added. So in essence, this texting law is no more a realistic primary offense than not wearing a seatbelt is. You choose not to wear a seatbelt at your own risk, just like you choose to text at your own risk. Not bc you think you're going to get pulled over for that specific offense.
texting while driving
choosing to endanger yourself is OK with me, BUT choosing to do something that will also endager others is NOT Ok.
So I hope your decision to text while driving is limited to times when you are driving on a road with NO OTHER cars on it. . So when you lose control of your car, only YOU will suffer the consequences of your stupid behavior. ( And just think: your decision to text while driving could also benefit society in general, by removing your genes from the human gene pool).
....
gay
gay
gay
txt
gay
i think this ban is
i think this ban is baloney... me, being a young driver, thinks that texting while driving is one of the easiest things i has taughted
Young and dumb
Being able to text and drive easily apparently is not a prerequisite for being able to write a coherent sentence. "Me...thinks that" and "easiest thing I has taughted?" How about "I think that" and "I have been taught." Taughted isn't even a word. Maybe if you spent more time reading a book and less on the stupid phone texting your BFF, you might actually realize how immature and uneducated you actually sound.
I think that this is as crazy
I think that this is as crazy as the california law where all pets now need to wear seatbelts.
texting while driving
I am a 44yr old woman who is addicted to texting. I am also a bicyclist who is now more fearful for my life then ever while cycling on public roads or bike lanes (when available). I have seen motorist wonder over into on coming traffic or clear off the shoulder of the road while texting. The statistics show that younger adults text more then older adults that might be true; however, older adults are much slower at texting and have to study the screen closer to read it therefore their attention is distracted longer and their reaction time to a possible accidentally event is slower. I don't care how old you are or what age is texting more then the other, People should not be allowed to text or take their eyes off the road to perform any type of task, period! In my opinion vehicles especially monster suvs and trucks should be equipped with some sort of a signal blocker so that while in a car a signal can not be received to sent.
I'm doing a project on this
I'm doing a project on this topic and my results now are that texting is VERY dangerous while driving. not only does it obscure your vision, it also affects your concentration on driving your vehicle.
It's funny that they had to
It's funny that they had to pass two separate laws: one for using a hands-free device when speaking on the cell and one prohibiting text messaging. I'm glad this law is being enforced. It's already bad enough that people get into car accidents when there are NO distractions, but when they're texting...
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what in the world????
i think they should let us live our life and if we choose to text or call somebody then that is our choice. I think they are trying to run our lives and thay should stop!!! what if its an emergency and you have to accept a call or recieve a message. i think thay should calm down with making laws and let us live our life even though we really cant. Im not suprised we arent in a dictatorship. I mean come on. and again if we choose to do that then let us... its our fault.
Thay
I think you should be allowed to text while driving head on into the path of a semi and help clean our gene pool.
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the law
I work as a truck accident attorney and if you have any problems you can contact me and I will clear any of your mysteries regarding traffic laws.
Text Ban is dumb
Scenario Follows:
Officer: Sir I pulled you over because you were texting while driving.
Me: *lying* No I wasn't.
Officer: Sir I saw you with your phone
Me: Oh that I was looking at some pics I took last week.
Officer: Oh. Well there is no law against that.
Why not a law agaisnt operating a cell while driving? How is the officer to prove drivers are texting? This is stupind. Or why target cell phones. How about a law against willfull inattentive driving. That makes more sense. That way it would be illegal to eat, text, apply makeup, search for CDs or anything besides concentrating on the road. Unless there is more to it, I see lawyers tearing the police a new one with every texting case that goes to court.
Just my .02.
yeah not so gay when your
yeah not so gay when your best friends brother and mother was killed by some dumb girl not paying attention to the road who is texting on her phone. I got hit by some guy texting on his phone on friday which resulted in my getting a crushed vertabre a concussion and tottalling my show car. so i think its a good idea. text your friends later they can wait
you are all gay
you are all gay
you are all gay
you are all gay
stupid homos
stupid homos
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