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Cause and effect of cell phone use while driving
Cpl. Brad Snyder
Last week I wrote about the law regarding the use of cell phones in school zones and road construction zones. The long and short of it is this: You can’t use them in those areas. I emphasized that the safety of students and road workers was the primary motivation for such a law. This week, I am going to stay in the telecommunications area and discuss an issue that affects EVERY motorist.
On July 14, 2008, Paul Davidson of Jonesboro was traveling on Hwy. 1 just south of Jonesboro when a vehicle he was meeting crossed the centerline and struck his vehicle. Paul was killed in the crash. The driver of the at-fault vehicle, along with his family, admitted that he had been texting when he lost control of his vehicle and struck Davidson. Paul’s daughter, Hilary, led a charge to ban texting while driving so that maybe other families would not have to endure the loss and pain that she and her family had. Fast forward to Oct. 1, 2009. Act 181 of 2009, appropriately named Paul’s Law, goes into effect. This law prohibits drivers of motor vehicles from using handheld wireless telephones to engage in text messaging. It was codified as 27-51-1501.
The law specifically states that, except for an emergency, no driver of a motor vehicle may use a handheld wireless telephone for wireless interactive communication while operating a motor vehicle. With the popularity of smart phones increasing with all age demographics, this is not an issue that is confined to teenagers and young adults. It appears that all age groups are embracing the conveniences of electronic communication. Embracing the convenience is great, as long as it is embraced while stopped in a safe place or preferably outside an automobile completely. There is an exception for those who are performing official duties. Those exempted are police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Before any of you get your dander up, I can assure you that just because we are allowed to while we are working does not mean we will. In fact, our department has forbidden us to text while driving, and advised us to pull over to a safe area if we should need to use our phones for voice calls. While we may drive thousands more miles than the average citizen each year, we police officers are still human beings and most definitely capable of making a mistake once in a while.
Some of you are probably saying to yourselves: “Boy, he sure is harping on this issue. He’s written about it before, then the article last week, and now this one. What gives??” I’ll tell you “what gives”. If you have been keeping up with the news lately, you have probably seen that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is interested in banning cell phones from motor vehicles totally. In their plan, the ban would even include hands-free devices and kits. What would bring such a drastic measure to the forefront? If you guessed that there has been a sharp increase in traffic crashes due to cell phone induced distracted driving, you would be correct. It would appear that the federal government would like to get the public’s attention.
The Paragould Police Department will be stepping up enforcement with regards to texting while driving. We intend for today’s column to serve as your warning for this offense. My fellow officers and I will be issuing citations for non-compliance of this law. Our hope is to get your attention, so that maybe we can prevent another senseless death like that of Paul Davidson.
Feel free to email me at asktheppd@gmail.com if you have any questions about this or any other column. I would also like to hear from you if you have an idea for a future column. Remember to always buckle up and drive safely!
Last week I wrote about the law regarding the use of cell phones in school zones and road construction zones. The long and short of it is this: You can’t use them in those areas. I emphasized that the safety of students and road workers was the primary motivation for such a law. This week, I am going to stay in the telecommunications area and discuss an issue that affects EVERY motorist.
On July 14, 2008, Paul Davidson of Jonesboro was traveling on Hwy. 1 just south of Jonesboro when a vehicle he was meeting crossed the centerline and struck his vehicle. Paul was killed in the crash. The driver of the at-fault vehicle, along with his family, admitted that he had been texting when he lost control of his vehicle and struck Davidson. Paul’s daughter, Hilary, led a charge to ban texting while driving so that maybe other families would not have to endure the loss and pain that she and her family had. Fast forward to Oct. 1, 2009. Act 181 of 2009, appropriately named Paul’s Law, goes into effect. This law prohibits drivers of motor vehicles from using handheld wireless telephones to engage in text messaging. It was codified as 27-51-1501.
The law specifically states that, except for an emergency, no driver of a motor vehicle may use a handheld wireless telephone for wireless interactive communication while operating a motor vehicle. With the popularity of smart phones increasing with all age demographics, this is not an issue that is confined to teenagers and young adults. It appears that all age groups are embracing the conveniences of electronic communication. Embracing the convenience is great, as long as it is embraced while stopped in a safe place or preferably outside an automobile completely. There is an exception for those who are performing official duties. Those exempted are police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel. Before any of you get your dander up, I can assure you that just because we are allowed to while we are working does not mean we will. In fact, our department has forbidden us to text while driving, and advised us to pull over to a safe area if we should need to use our phones for voice calls. While we may drive thousands more miles than the average citizen each year, we police officers are still human beings and most definitely capable of making a mistake once in a while.
Some of you are probably saying to yourselves: “Boy, he sure is harping on this issue. He’s written about it before, then the article last week, and now this one. What gives??” I’ll tell you “what gives”. If you have been keeping up with the news lately, you have probably seen that the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is interested in banning cell phones from motor vehicles totally. In their plan, the ban would even include hands-free devices and kits. What would bring such a drastic measure to the forefront? If you guessed that there has been a sharp increase in traffic crashes due to cell phone induced distracted driving, you would be correct. It would appear that the federal government would like to get the public’s attention.
The Paragould Police Department will be stepping up enforcement with regards to texting while driving. We intend for today’s column to serve as your warning for this offense. My fellow officers and I will be issuing citations for non-compliance of this law. Our hope is to get your attention, so that maybe we can prevent another senseless death like that of Paul Davidson.
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