OMG I just ran a red light LOL

Newsflash: If you text and drive, you’re a step below whale vomit on the evolutionary scale.

Last week, while riding my bike to class, a man texting while driving ran a red light and sideswiped me.

A sprained hip, sprained knee, sprained ankle and a three-inch cut across my leg later, I’m still a little upset about the situation.

As it turns out, in July 2011, the Indiana General Assembly passed Indiana Code 9-21-8-59, which “prohibits the use of a telecommunications device to send or read text messages or email while operating a motor vehicle.”  

And since texting and driving has now replaced drunken driving as the leading cause of accidents and deaths for teenagers, who can blame them?

However, during the course of the year, the Indiana State Police had only issued 125 citations and 114 warnings for the violation of this law.

Considering that 207 people died in 2011 in Indiana from drunken driving, this number seems to be a little low.

Now, I understand that, in Small Town, Ind., you might text and drive without any problem.

In bigger cities like Bloomington, where people cross the street in a fashion akin to squirrels on methamphetamine, you can’t.

The worst part about the Indiana Code banning texting and driving is that ­— brace yourselves — it’s essentially unenforceable.

That’s right. The law designed to protect people’s lives and “scare” people away from texting and driving has about the same level of enforcement as a bowl of Halloween candy with a sign that says “Please only take one.”

Cpl. Dan Jones of the Elkhart Police Department said he wouldn’t mind if the law was more restrictive, but that the “problem is that it’s already very, very hard to enforce.”

Essentially, he said, you can pull people over for swerving or running a red light, but you can’t pull them over for speeding.  

Under the United States Constitution, police officers cannot go through your cell phone without your consent.

If you do not consent, they have to get a warrant, which takes time. And since most of us won’t give our phones to our friends without looking over their shoulder just in case you need to snatch it back, imagine how many people readily hand their phones over to the police.  

That’s right. Not many at all.

Indiana State Representative Eric Koch, a Republican who represents part of Monroe County, said that, since there are more citations, the law is obviously working. This  is not enough, Representative Koch.  

Texting and driving is considered six times more dangerous than drinking and driving. And yet, you can get a maximum fine of $500 if you’re caught texting behind the wheel.  

What is the first-offense punishment for drinking and driving, you ask?

Well, up to a $5,000 fine, up to a two-year suspension on your license, court fees of at least $300, up to two years probation and up to a year in jail.

The fact remains that Indiana is treating texting and driving like it is not a major issue of society today.

When texting and driving is the number one cause of death for teenagers and young adults, it needs to be treated as such.

This is a problem that affects anyone behind the wheel of a car, whether you’re the one texting and driving or the poor soul driving next to one.

It’s time Indiana takes situations like mine more seriously and puts an end to tolerating texting behind the wheel.

­— ajguenth@indiana.edu
Follow columnist Andrew Guenther on Twitter @GuentherAndrew.