A Mississippi law banning texting and driving goes into effect today.
Drivers using cell phones to write, read or send text messages are now eligible for a $25. On July 1, 2016, the fine will increase to $100.
Talking on a hands-free or voice operated phone is still permitted, but the law does apply to other uses of a smart phone, such as changing music, checking email or accessing social media.
“It’s all a distraction,” Sgt. Criss Turnipseed with the state Highway Patrol told The Dispatch. “People say, ‘Well, I wasn’t actually texting,’ but if you run into the back of an 18-wheeler, what difference does it make if it’s a text or an email?”
Exceptions to the ban include emergency, traffic or weather alerts, and messages “related to the operation or navigation of the motor vehicle.”
The law’s phrasing is vague, according to Sheriff Mike Arledge.
“I believe what the legislature intended was to educate people,” Arledge said.
The Columbus Police Department did not respond to multiple messages.
Mississippi was the 45th state to ban texting and driving.
People are 23 times more likely to get in an accident while texting, according to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute. Distracted driving caused 18 percent of accidents in 2012, resulting in 3,328 deaths and 421,000 injuries, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Law enforcement officials say the law might be hard to enforce.
“While we’re out looking for people using cell phones, there are people going 90 mph down the highway,” Turnipseed said. “We don’t have the manpower to say, ‘OK, you 10 guys look specifically for texting and driving.'”
It is especially difficult for Turnipseed’s patrol because he deals with highways with two or four lanes. He said it is difficult to tell when people are texting and driving from several lanes away, and when pulled over most drivers will not admit if they were texting. Officers cannot take someone’s cell phone without a search warrant.
“We focus more on driving behavior, swerving or driving off the lane,” Turnipseed said. “This is just an extension of careless driving behavior.”
Turnipseed said the law will be an adjustment for both the public and the officials enforcing it, but it is another tool to keep the roads safe.
“Texting and driving is a huge deal,” he said. “This is a start.”
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