An Indiana state senator is proposing a ban on texting while driving — an idea popular with the insurance industry but viewed skeptically by some younger drivers.
Senate Bill 18, sponsored by Sen. Travis Holdman, R-Markle, would make sending texts while behind the wheel a Class C infraction, with a penalty of up to $500.
State law already bars drivers under 18 from using cell phones, but Holdman said texting is a dangerous distraction for any driver.
"It isn't just a problem for teen drivers," Holdman said. "It is a problem for all drivers. This is something we need to do."
The Insurance Research Council has called for action, citing research that 18 percent of drivers reported texting. For younger drivers 25-39, the rate is more than double that at 41 percent.
The council, based in Malvern, Penn., cites U.S. Department of Transportation figures showing that distracted drivers were involved in 5,474 fatal crashes in 2009. Cell phone use was a factor in 18 percent of fatal crashes, according to the agency.
"These findings confirm that a large number of drivers are engaging in very dangerous behavior," Elizabeth Sprinkel, senior vice president of the IRC, said in a November statement. "The need to find an effective response to this behavior is becoming increasingly clear."
The bill could receive a hearing by lawmakers in a few weeks, Holdman said.
"It just makes sense as a public safety issue," he said. "We just want to keep people alive."
If the bill passes, Indiana will be the 31st state with the texting-while-driving ban, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Eight states have outlawed the use of handheld cell phones entirely.
Robert Fey, associate director of public safety at Ball State, said he fully supports the bill.
"Enforcement would likely be carried out much the same as seat belt enforcement," Fey said. As a Class C infraction, people texting while driving can be pulled over and ticketed without breaking any other traffic laws.
Holdman said the Indiana State Police reported in the first 11 months of 2010, there were over 1,100 accidents where the driver who caused the accident admitted to talking on their cell phone or texting when the accident occurred. Of those 1,100 accidents, more than 300 resulted in injuries, and 4 of the accidents had fatalities.
While the law has already been put in place in 30 states throughout the country, some people aren't optimistic it would make driving safer.
Freshman telecommunications student Ben Kruis said he doesn't know if there is any way to stop drivers from texting.
"I think people will still do it," he said. "I think it will lessen it, but I don't think it will stop it."
Freshman mathematics education major Kristina Patzkowsky said she thinks the law will have to be heavily enforced to have an impact.
"The more tickets are handed out, the more people will listen," she said.
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