Over the course of 2021, Bluffton earned a reputation for enforcing the distracted driving law.
If you were to read the list of drivers who received tickets as we published them in Police Notebook, you would often see an out-of-town address. Those drivers must not have heard the same rumors I’ve heard.
Better not text and drive in Bluffton or they’ll get you.
Throughout the year, the Bluffton Police Department issued 438 tickets for distracted driving. The law prohibits the driver from holding a cellphone in their hand while the vehicle is in motion. The law went into effect in 2020, and the state’s bureau of motor vehicles started adding points to drivers’ records in July 2021.
The vast majority of drivers have done it, I’m sure — myself included. And in hundreds of instances, the drivers were caught. Police Chief Kyle Randall recently told me they’ve had drivers ticketed more than once.
“It’s crazy how many people there are out there doing it,” Sgt. Jason Baker said last year of drivers ignoring the hands-free law. “It’s dangerous for everyone.”
In April 2021, we published a story that highlighted Baker’s efforts to enforce the law. Baker would station himself around the city in various locations, looking for distracted driving.
“I could see the poor driving behavior,” Baker told reporter Glen Werling, adding, “When they drive by I can see through their car and I can see their hand is up to their head.”
Randall said it was a project of Baker’s that was supported by the BPD. It was not a special enforcement effort such as monitoring seat belt violations.
According to the Indiana Department of Transportation, a no-texting law had been on the books since 2011 but the court of appeals found it unenforceable “because it’s too narrowly tailored.” Instead, the 2020 law “prohibits drivers from holding mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets, in their hands while driving to reduce distracted driving and improve safety of Hoosier roadways.”
Utilizing services of the phone such as calling and messaging can still be done as long as it’s done hands-free and with voice commands. This is in an attempt to keep drivers’ eyes on their surroundings.
“Three independent studies found that crash risk was 2-6 times greater when drivers were manipulating a cellphone versus when they were not,” reads the INDOT page about the law. “On average, people that text and drive take their attention from the road for five seconds at a time, increasing the chances of a serious crash substantially. At 55 miles per hour, this is the equivalent of driving a full football field blindfolded.”
And for anyone who is convinced traffic tickets lead to a big payday for the BPD, let me dispel that rumor right here. Randall says for every ticket and arrest, the department receives $4. So for each $146 ticket for distracted driving issued last year, the department received a total of $1,752.
That money, Randall said, goes into the department’s local continuous education fund to be used for officer training.
I hope the volume of tickets last year alone serves as a tool to educate the public on the law. I know it continues to make me think twice about my driving behaviors and always ensure my cellphone is connected to my vehicle via Bluetooth. The last thing I want is my name to appear in Police Notebook, especially for something I can control.
“You have to break that old habit and get into a new habit,” Baker said last year.
That’s good advice we can all use.
jessica@news-banner.com
