County texting ban aims to decrease number of distracted drivers

A new ban aiming to decrease the number of distracted motorists could soon land drivers in Monroe County who text while behind the wheel with a fine.

The Monroe County commissioners approved a ban on the sending, composing or reading of e-mails and text messages and surfing the Internet while driving. The ordinance was passed in December and went into effect Jan. 1.

Monroe County Sheriff’s Department Chief Deputy Michael Pershing said text messaging is distracting to the driver and is a common problem. 

“This is not a problem just specific to this county,” Pershing said.

Texting while driving is dangerous because the driver must look down instead of paying attention to the road, Pershing said. The large number of young people in Monroe County has also contributed to the problem, he added.

“There is a high student population here,” Pershing said. “Young people are more likely to send text messages.”

County Attorney Jeff Cockerill handled the case and said the problem was brought to the county commissioner’s attention after other drivers complained.

“We had a citizen file a complaint about awful driving practices,” Cockerill said. “But this is a nationwide problem.”

Cockerill said the ordinance will only be in enforced in the county, not within Bloomington city limits. The city has not yet enacted its own ordinance, he said.

The ordinance also gained support due to the recent death of Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy Sarah Jones on Oct. 16, 2008. She was killed after a car struck her while she was directing traffic. The driver was distracted while sending a text message, Pershing said.

Enforcing the ban could be difficult because some drivers hold the cell phone in their laps, and it is not always obvious what they are doing, Pershing said.

“People do a lot of things they shouldn’t do while driving, like reading books, newspapers and putting on makeup,” Pershing said.

Sophomore Dominic Hosack has been texting since he first received his driver’s license. He said he usually holds his cell phone on his lap and drives with the other hand. While he has never been in an accident caused by texting, he said he has been distracted.

“I have missed my turn before and gotten totally lost because I was texting,” Hosack said.

Hosack does not plan to stop texting and does not know how the police will be able to enforce the ban.

Other drivers have recently stopped texting while driving after realizing its danger.
Sophomore Andrew Evertts stopped after seeing an episode of “Dr. Phil.”

“I saw an episode about people who were in wrecks because of texting while driving,” Evertts said. “It made me nervous.”

Fines have not yet been set for drivers caught texting while driving. Pershing said drivers need to remember that it is their responsibility to drive without distractions.