The New Colorado Texting Law

If you have not heard of the new law in Colorado, then you might want to check out the particulars of it. The new "Texting" Law is meant to eliminate some of the hazards of drivers using their cell phones to text. It is now against the law in Colorado and you can be stopped and fined for doing it.

The problem with the new law is enforcement issues. The local police have stated, they aren't sure how to enforce it. When someone is stopped, do police know whether or not they were texting or just dialing their phones? The law is meant to be useful, however, it also appears to be almost impossible to enforce. Colorado follows many other states in writing a law concerning texting and cell phone use while driving.

According to Driving Laws.com: http://www.drivinglaws.org/colorado.php the law reads this way.

House Bill 1094 Prohibits operators of a motor vehicle who are under 18 years of age from using a wireless telephone while a motor vehicle they are operating is in motion.

The new driving law will prohibit persons who are 18 years of age and older from using a wireless telephone to send text messages while operating a motor vehicle.

To be cited for these offenses an officer of the law must "See" the driver engaging in the prohibited action. Fines can be imposed up to $100.

According to edgarsnyder.com cell phone related accidents are on the rise. Here are the statistics from their site:

Teen Driver Cell Phone and Text Messaging Statistics

• Despite the risks, the majority of teen drivers ignore cell phone driving restrictions.
• In 2007, driver distractions, such as using a cell phone or text messaging, contributed to nearly 1,000 crashes involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers.
• Over 60 percent of American teens admit to risky driving, and nearly half of those that admit to risky driving also admit to text messaging behind the wheel.
• Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year.
• Almost 50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting while driving.
• Over one-third of all young drivers, ages 24 and under, are texting on the road.
• Teens say that texting is their number one driver distraction.

Adult Driver Cell Phone, Texting, and Car Accident Information

• Talking on a cell phone causes nearly 25% of car accidents.
• One-fifth of experienced adult drivers in the United States send text messages while driving.
• A study of dangerous driver behavior released in January 2007 by Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. found that of 1,200 surveyed drivers, 73 percent talk on cell phones while driving.
• The same 2007 survey found that 19 percent of motorists say they text message while driving.
• In 2005, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found that ten percent of drivers are on handheld or hands free cell phones at any given hour of the day.
• A study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Motorists found that motorists who use cell phones while driving are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.
• In 2002, the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis calculated that 2,600 people die each year as a result of using cellphones while driving. They estimated that another 330,000 are injured.
• According to the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, drivers talking on cell phones are 18 percent slower to react to brake lights. They also take 17 percent longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked.
• An estimated 44 percent of American drivers now have cell phones in their automobiles.
• Of cell phone users that were surveyed, 85 percent said they use their phones occasionally when driving, 30 percent use their phones while driving on the highway, and 27 percent use them during half or more of the trips they take.
• 84 percent of cell phone users stated that they believe using a cell phone while driving increases the risk of being in an accident.
• The majority of Americans believe that talking on the phone and texting are two of the the most dangerous behaviors that occur behind the wheel. Still, as many as 81% of drivers admit to making phone calls while driving.
• The number of crashes and near-crashes linked to dialing is nearly identical to the number associated with talking or listening. Dialing is more dangerous but occurs less often than talking or listening.
• Studies have found that texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with eyes off the road.

These are the facts. It was time for Colorado to do something. This new law is meant to be helpful. It keeps teenagers from driving and talking on the phone or texting. That is a very useful part of the law. It should reduce the number of teenage accidents quite a bit. However, there are glitches in that part of it as well. How is a policeman supposed to know if a driver is 18 or 19 1/2? Will they be able to tell that from driving by the person? Or will everyone who looks that age have to be stopped and identified?

It is definitely a step up for Colorado, enforcing this law. The accident rate among distracted drivers is astronomical and is preventable. Passing this new law will certainly help with this problem. Enacting it will probably be a nightmare for police. Just making several determinations about a person using their cell phones will be a challenge.

In an effort to change the status quo for cell phone use and driving, the police will surely overwhelmed keeping up with it all. The concept and the idea behind the law are great. The application will be harder to put into force.

If we were all honest and truly concerned with our actions, the police would not have to have a "law". However, we are all aware of the attitudes that go with change. Laws are made because people choose not to correct themselves. They rather try to "get away" with it instead of conform to a new law. Get involved with this new law. It may save your life. That text or phone call can wait just a few minutes to send. Pull off of the road and do your texting. Buy a Bluetooth to talk on the phone while moving. Take responsibility for yourself.

Don't drive and text or talk on your phone. Lives depend on you taking responsibility and being smart. If you see someone texting, call 911 and report it. Take their license number and call. You may save a life.

Facts and statistics obtained from www.drivinglaws.com and www.edgarsnyder.com.