Texting while driving law goes into effect Saturday

By SUSAN TEBBEN Glasgow Daily Times  December 30, 2010

GLASGOW — A new law that will be enforced starting Jan. 1 hopes to increase driver awareness in a technological age.

The law, signed April 15 by Gov. Steve Beshear, bans texting for drivers of all ages while the vehicle is in motion.

Drivers over age 18 can use global positioning devices (but manual entry of information must be done while the vehicle is stopped) and can use the phone to read, select, or enter a telephone number or name to make a phone call, according to a release by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet.

The only situation in which texting would be allowed is in the event of an emergency or to report illegal activity. Emergency and public safety vehicles are exempt when the use of a personal communication device is essential to the operator’s official duties, according to the KYTC release.

Drivers who violate the new law will be fined $25 for the first offense and $50 for each subsequent offense, plus court costs.

In Kentucky last year, there were more than 57,000 crashes — and more than 200 fatalities — attributed to driver distraction, inattention and cell phone use.

Law enforcement officials have been on the lookout for texters since April, giving out warnings for offenders, but no citations could be distributed. However, officers have learned that the new law will only be enforceable through strict watch of drivers.

“It’s going to require some observation by the police,” said Lt. Col. Kent Keen, of the Glasgow Police Department. “It’s a lot like the seat belt law where a lot of people get caught when they’re stopped at stop lights. We’ll just have to deal with it as we go.”

State troopers will already be out in force for the start of the law because of the holiday. The Kentucky State Police will be working on the “Over the Limit, Under Arrest” campaign, conducting traffic stops and road checks throughout the counties.

“This law also covers e-mailing, we’ve pulled people over who have said ‘no, I was just checking my e-mail,’ but you will be pulled over and cited for that kind of thing as well,” said Trooper Charles Swiney, public information officer for the Bowling Green post of the KSP.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver distraction and inattention contributes to 25 percent of police-responded traffic crashes nationwide.

Inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.

Kentucky was the 22nd state to ban texting while driving, according to the KYTC. Currently, 30 states and the District of Columbia ban text messaging for all drivers and 12 of the laws were enacted just in 2010.