News From Terre Haute, Indiana

Editorials

June 13, 2012

EDITORIAL: Patience with the texting ban

Imperfect law is still the only deterrent we’ve got

TERRE HAUTE — It takes time to assess the effectiveness of new laws, none more so than the texting ban that took effect last summer in Indiana. While far from perfect and a challenge for police to enforce, the law itself represented a good first step in getting the attention of, shall we say, a distracted populace which understands the dangers of texting while driving but seems unwilling to stop doing it.

The year-old law prohibits drivers from using a telecommunications device to type, transmit or read a text message or email. That’s fine, but police can’t check motorists’ phones to see if they are in violation, and drivers can still use their phones to check GPS coordinates, make calls or surf the Internet.

You don’t have to be out on the roadways for long before encountering other drivers obliviously texting away.

But let’s face it. It’s never going to be easy to judge how effective the current law has been. Police around the state have issued warnings and citations, although not in large numbers. There is no doubt the law deters some people, including teenagers, from texting or using their cell phones in a manner that distracts them from the task at hand.

Still, sharper teeth in the law or enhanced enforcement will never eliminate the dangerous practice. After all, do motorists still violate speed limits or other driving laws? Of course they do.

Does that mean the state should give up? Absolutely not.

Police are currently asking lawmakers to beef up the law so that it covers all activities that can distract motorists behind the wheel. Good for them. We’ve long been an advocate for the texting ban, and we support the notion of expanding the law to cover other forms of distraction and making it a bit easier for police to enforce it.

It would be wise, however, for the legislature to take a measured approach to the issue and listen closely to both law enforcement and safety experts in devising the most appropriate strategy for the future. That won’t happen quickly. We must move forward, but a certain amount of patience and careful evaluation is required.

Meanwhile, the real detriment to texting while driving should be the potential for a traffic catastrophe that could have disastrous consequences. Such tragedies still occur far too often.

We also urge police not to be shy about confronting violators. Public safety is at stake, and the law won’t make traveling safer if it’s not observed and enforced.

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