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Enforcing no texting on the road goes slowly

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Comments (8)

Friday, March 19, 2010

(Updated 9:22 am)

By Ryan Seals
Staff Writer

GREENSBORO — Three and a half months in, Guilford County is tied for the lead in citations for texting while driving, according to state court records. But overall, citations issued because of the texting ban remain low.

Officers in Guilford County have cited 21 drivers under the state law that went into effect Dec. 1. Guilford is tied with Mecklenburg County for the most citations, according to the N.C. Administrative Office of Courts.

Statewide, 221 citations had been issued through March 10.

Of those, 41 have resulted in convictions so far, with only two in Guilford County. Many remain pending in court. A conviction can result in a $100 fine and court costs.

“We take it very seriously because statistics show that someone texting is worse off than a drunk driver,” said Trooper G.L. Ingram of the Highway Patrol.

Ingram said it is at the discretion of an officer whether to issue a citation. Troopers have to make sure a driver is actually texting or have a witness to the texting before issuing a citation, he said.

“We aren’t going to stop someone for the simple fact we thought you were texting. We have to be 100 percent sure or no enforcement action can be taken,” Ingram said.

Locally, support of a ban on texting while driving gained momentum in March 2008 after UNCG professor Mark Schulz was hit by a text-messaging driver while Schulz was riding a bicycle on Aycock Street.

The accident attracted the interest of state Rep. Pricey Harrison, a Greensboro Democrat. She co-sponsored the bill to ban texting while driving.

“I anticipated it would be difficult to enforce,” Harrison said. “However, the knowledge that it is now illegal will hopefully curtail some of the texting while driving.

“We also foresee it becoming an aggravating factor (in court) if someone is involved in an accident and found to be texting.”

A teenage driver can create and send a text message in 10 to 15 seconds, according to the Highway Patrol.

At that rate — while driving 60 miles per hour — a driver covers a tenth of a mile while not paying full attention to the road.

In 2008, nearly 6,000 people died in accidents involving a distracted or inattentive driver, and more than half a million were injured, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Contact Ryan Seals at 373-7077 or ryan.seals@news-record.com

Accompanying Photos

H. Scott Hoffmann (News & Record)

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Motorists can report other drivers who are texting or driving erratically by dialing *HP on a cell phone.

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n_rdrm2008

March 19, 2010 - 5:18 am EDT

officers are so busy themselves with what they watch while driving and responding, they can't watch these little things. Great officer responseon things happening, but some laws have only get extra attention on a promotion, clickit ticket. We need more proactie officer involvement for traffic, as well as our great responsive officer work

kurgun

March 19, 2010 - 6:24 am EDT

So other drivers can report people for texting while driving. Great idea, so someone who either doesen't like you or is just an all around lunatic can call police and report you for texting whether you are or not. I would surely hope they would be smart enough to wait long enough if more drivers reported the same person doing that. Texting and driving can be dangeorus, but someone with too much time on their hands making false reports can be just as dangerous if not stupid.

Panacea

March 19, 2010 - 7:47 am EDT

It's easy enough to disprove though: just show the cop your cellphone to prove you weren't texting.

It is a hard law to enforce, but people said the same thing about seatbelt laws, and now compliance is up, and injuries or deaths are way down.

aliluyya

March 19, 2010 - 11:09 am EDT

"Motorists can report other drivers who are texting or driving erratically by dialing *HP on a cell phone." I tried to call *HP one day b/c I was driving down 40E & there was a fire on the side of the road. What happened? Press one for blah blah blah, press two.... I couldn't look at the numbers while I'm flying down the highway & drive safely, so I had to hang up! If you want people to call from their cars, PUT A PERSON ON THE LINE. sheez...

tennesseegemini

March 19, 2010 - 8:35 am EDT

Most officers would have to arrest themselves first, not other drivers. 9 out of 10 that you see have a cell phone attached to their freaking ears and 9 times out of 10 I guarantee IT AIN'T BUSINESS RELATED! I know this from my daughter dating a highway patrolman. He was always on his cell phone calling her. Why don't you start there, the highway patrolmen and sheriff's office.......

outspoken

March 19, 2010 - 10:08 am EDT

So your comments are based on the one law enforcement officer you know? 9 out of 10 officers you see ride around with a phone attached to their head? Please, go to your your local law enforcement agency and ask for a ride along and learn about what officers of today are subjected to before you decide to grind your axe on the backs of overwork, under paid heroes that risk their lives for people they do not know, the same people that may choose to make uneducated seconds about their actions.

GSOCycle

March 19, 2010 - 9:26 am EDT

Mr Seals needs to work on his math. A motorist going 60 MPH will travel 1/6th of a mile in 10 seconds, not 1/10th, nearly twice the distance, and a full quarter mile in 15 seconds, 2.5 times Seals's number.