Know the Law
Are you aware of the laws regarding texting and driving? You may have noticed more people being pulled over for something besides speeding . . . texting and driving.
The Kansas Highway Patrol has been conducting a texting enforcement initiative to spot drivers who are violating Kansas Statue 8-15,111 also known as The Texting While Driving law. According to the National Highway Safety Administration, NHTSA, texting while driving creates a crash risk 23 times greater than driving while not being distracted.
Johnson County Sheriff’s Department, Deputy Greg Smith, who has been with the department for 16 years, explains the dangers and effects texting and driving. Smith elaborated on the law and made it known that there is not much versatility to the law.
“The law itself reads, drivers may not manually type, send, or read a written communication, including, but not limited to, a text message, instant message, or electronic mail,” said Smith. “You can’t send a text or update Facebook or anything that requires you to put any type of input into your phone or read anything.”
So, don’t put yourself at risk or anyone else by picking up any device on which you would need to look down to read or input information. It’s a law for a reason – it keeps people safe.
Just in case you aren’t convinced, here’s a documentary created by Werner Herzog and At&T: