The National Safety Council applauds the Indiana legislature and Governor Mitch Daniels for passing and enacting Senate Bill 18, a bill that will prohibit people of all ages from texting while driving. The National Safety Council estimates at least 100,000 motor vehicle crashes each year involve drivers who are texting behind the wheel. With the passage of the bill, Indiana becomes the 32nd state to have a text-messaging ban for drivers.
“Texting while driving is a very deadly behavior,” says Janet Froetscher, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “It’s a distraction that requires use of a driver’s eyes, hands and mind. I applaud Governor Daniels for signing this bill into law and making Indiana roadways safer.”
According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every six seconds. At 55 miles per hour, that 4.6 seconds is enough time to travel the length of an entire football field. It’s no wonder that many safety experts consider texting as dangerous as drunk driving. Prior to the passage of the recent legislation, only drivers younger than 18 were banned from texting while driving in Indiana.
