Texting while driving ban starts Sunday

COEUR d'ALENE - Idaho's new texting-while-driving law goes into effect on Sunday.

The new law makes it an infraction to text and drive, and carries an $81.50 fine if a motorist is cited.

Following legislative consideration of texting-while-driving bills during two prior legislative sessions, Idaho became the 37th state to prohibit the practice earlier this year when the legislature passed and the governor signed SB1274.

The legislation was sponsored by Sen. Jim Hammond, R-Coeur d'Alene.

"The proliferation of cell phones in the culture has changed the way everyone communicates, adding a new deadly wrinkle in a larger distracted driving debate faced by every state in the nation," said AAA Washington's director of Public Affairs, Dave Overstreet.

Hammond said he's pleased to see the texting bill become law.

"Too many young drivers believe that it's safe to text while driving," Hammond said. "This will enable law enforcement officials to educate drivers of the dangers of texting while driving and if necessary cite the driver for this dangerous practice.

"Restricting this practice will save lives, and eventually texting while driving will be viewed by society in the same light as drinking and driving."

Hammond said the bill was a challenge to shepherd through the Legislature because one always wishes to error on the side of caution when building any further restrictions in the law.

"Legislators began to understand that the danger of texting and the public's desire to create this higher level of safety," he said. "The difference between this and requiring helmets when riding on motorcycles, for example, is that injuries from a motorcycle usually only affect the driver. Texting while driving creates a danger for any nearby drivers."

AAA's November 2011 statewide survey of registered Idaho voters showed that nearly nine in 10 Idahoans supported a legislative ban on texting while driving.

Idaho crash data shows 192 people were killed and 1,534 were seriously injured in crashes involving distracted driving between 2008-2010.

"When we told legislators that 30 percent of Idaho's road fatalities involve distracted driving and that Idaho's inattentive driving law yields just 2 percent of all the citations issued statewide, some who wondered whether we needed a specific texting ban likely changed their minds," Overstreet said.

Local agencies said they will do their best to enforce the new law.

"When ISP troopers observe a violation of this code they will take the appropriate action as they do with any traffic code violation," according to an Idaho State Police press release.