By Lindsay Martin– With advances in technology on the rise, our lives have become consumed with handheld devices. However, these devices are causing a distraction not only in our lives but also on the road.
Currently, the law in Iowa states that texting and driving is a secondary offense. Meaning the driver must be pulled over for something other than texting in order to get the ticket for texting and driving. The violation is a $30 fine. Additional fines may follow if an accident occurred because of the texting.
However in 2014, the Iowa Department of Public Safety officials want to enforce stricter state laws to prevent accidents and deaths associated with inattentive driving.
“We’re starting to see a lot more collisions where people are distracted, and texting is becoming a major factor when people are behind the wheel,” said Sgt. Scott Bright, spokesman for the state Department of Public Safety.
According to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, sending or receiving a text takes an average of about 4.6 seconds. That would mean driving the length of a football field without looking. Driving distracted not only affects the driver, but also the other people on the road.
If the state did change the law to a primary offense it would be hard to define and prove. The current law bars a person from using a hand-held electronic communication device to write, send or read a text message while driving a motor vehicle. What about checking Facebook, or using the phone’s navigation system? Texting is not the only distraction these devices offer.
Although distracted driving has been proven to cause serious problems such as accidents and even death, it can be very hard for law enforcement to prove and enforce. Hopefully elected officials can better promote and impose stricter laws for texting and driving.
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