After a delay in the Senate, a newly approved ban on texting while driving will soon be enforced, as Michigan becomes the 20th state to impose such a law. Other states imposing such a law restricting texting while driving include New York, California, Alaska, and Illinois.
Last month, the State Senate voted to ban texting with a 31-6 vote. The House has also passed its own version of the legislation. Now, the legislation just awaits Gov. Granholm’s signature. Governor Granholm is expected to sign the legislation into power.
Some students question how such a ban will be enforced. “I would say that yes, the new law is a good idea. But the question is how difficult will it be to enforce?” asked Joe Fanelli, an LSA freshman.
Law enforcement officials will be allowed to give tickets for drivers that text while driving, but will not be able to pull a vehicle over for that reason. Texting while driving would be considered a secondary offense, if made into a law. One State Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-DeWitt, believes texting while driving should be a primary offense rather than a secondary offense. Currently, fifteen states have made texting while driving a primary offense. As a secondary offense, texting while driving would be a punishable offense with a $200 fine. A second offense would cost between $200 to $500. As a secondary offense, law enforcement officials would only be able to ticket drivers for texting while driving, if they were already pulled over for another offense.
Just recently the federal government banned texting while driving for commercial truck drivers. Those hauling more than 2,000 pounds and texting while driving could face up to $2,750 in fines.
A new research study suggests that a texting ban won’t decrease automobile crashes. The Highway Loss Data Institute in Virginia recently conducted a study showing that texting ban laws do not impact automobile crashes. The study looked at three states, along with the District of Columbia, that have texting bans. Data taken from before and after the laws were implemented in these states revealed that the number of crashes remained the same.
Students like Juliana Perez, an LSA Junior, are surprised Michigan has even needed to create such a ban on texting. “I think the fact that they need to make a law is ridiculous. People need to be more careful while driving,” she commented.
Other students still think a ban for texting while driving will help keep drivers on road in Michigan safe. “I think it’s a good idea, said Christina Hart, an LSA junior. She continued, “I’ve had two friends get into accidents because they weren’t paying attention to the road. So, it’s like we all multitask while driving and sometimes it’s okay, texting is just ridiculous because you can’t physically pay attention to the road fully while typing away.”
Lauren Khadra, an LSA Junior, thinks more people need to know about the law, if it is signed by Granholm. “I didn’t even know about the texting ban until you told me. I’m surprised something like that got passed. I think people need to be more aware of this law. The bigger issue that should be confronted is distracted driving in general.”
2 comments