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STATEWIDE: Idaho law enforcement looking
for
distracted drivers |
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April 2, 2016 |
Idaho law-enforcement personnel will combine
traditional and innovative strategies to crack
down on motorists who choose to drive
distracted, April 1-11.
A statewide high-visibility enforcement of
texting and inattentive driving laws will be
underway during the 11-day period. At the same
time, traditional- and social-media outreach
efforts will let drivers know about the
enforcement and encourage them to always drive
attentively.
“Driving and texting is not only dangerous and
irresponsible, it’s illegal,” said Captain
Sheldon Kelley with Idaho State Police. “Drivers
who break our state’s texting law will be
stopped and fined. This is a major problem in
our state, and we’re trying to work toward a
resolution by fining violators.”
“It’s not that complicated: If you text and
drive inattentively, we will see you, pull you
over, and fine you. We’re serious about
preventing distracted crashes,” said Kelley.
Distracted-driving statistics portray a grim
picture. In 2014, 39 people were killed (22
percent of all crash fatalities) and an
additional 3,243 were injured in motor vehicle
crashes involving distracted drivers.
Violating Idaho’s texting law, which became
effective in 2012, can be costly. Violations of
the texting law are an infraction; it is a
primary citation and will cost you $81.50.
Drivers found to be inattentive (Idaho Code
49-101(3)) can be fined up to $300 and/or
receive 90 days in jail.
“Texting and driving requires motorists to take
their eyes off the road, hands off the wheel,
and mind off the task of driving. This is a
recipe for a crash, and that’s a scary thought,”
said Josephine Middleton, Distracted Driving
program manager from Idaho Transportation
Department’s Office of Highway Safety.
“People think they can multi-task, but research
shows that your mind can only focus on one task
at a time,” she explained. “No one has the right
to put another person’s life at risk like that.”
The University of Michigan’s Transportation
Research Institute’s 2012 “Teen Driver
Distraction Study” reports that one quarter of
teens respond to a text message once or more
every time they drive, and 20 percent of teens
and 10 percent of parents admit that they have
extended, multi-message text conversations while
driving.
For more information, please visit
http://itd.idaho.gov/ohs/justdrive.htm and
www.distraction.gov
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