KOTA Territory NewsTexting and driving ban proposed in legislature

Texting and driving ban proposed in legislature

South Dakota's traffic laws have been rated the worst in the country, but that could soon change.
 
 
A new bill to ban texting while driving has been filed in the state legislature. The bill would make a crime to text on wireless phones.

But that bill would still allow drivers to read, search and type in a phone number while driving.
Some South Dakota drivers say the law would be difficult to enforce.
 
 
"It would be difficult to clarify whether you are texting or whether you're just looking for a phone number or trying to make a phone call. Because I have to put in four digits just
to turn my phone on," said Greg Gibber.
 
"There's no way to prove that you're texting or just looking to see what time it is or seeing if it's a missed call. So I guess that law wouldn't really work," said Daniel Sierra.
 
Distracted drivers caused 883 crashes in 2011, while another 134 accidents were tied specifically to cell phone use.