Police officers often talk about the dangers of texting and driving. While Indiana has laws against texting and driving, they are impossible to enforce, local law enforcement officers say.
"The only law is against texting and driving in Indiana," Washington Police Chief Todd Church said. "It is definitely a problem, but with how the law is currently written, there isn't much we can do."
Effective back on July 1, 2011, it has been unlawful to type, transmit or read email or text messages on a communication device while driving in the Hoosier state. Violators may face fines of up to $500, but there are gaps that make it hard for officers to enforce.
"Someone can have their phone where an officer can see but if we pull them over, we can't check their phone," Church said. "Also, who knows what they are doing with apps that come on phones. They could be doing anything."
Because of the way the law is written, and because it's hard to tell if a person is texting or using another app like Facebook, enforcement is difficult.
According to the Indiana State website, there are now more crashes related to texting and driving than drinking and driving. People who text while driving are 23 times more likely to crash.
Information on the website also states that studies have found that reaction time will be about 30 percent worse when trying to text and drive. An average of 10 percent of the time, drivers are out of their lane.
Daviess County Sheriff Jerry Harbstreit believes distracted driving is very dangerous.
"We often see this in rear-end collisions when people are looking elsewhere and don't notice the car in front of them has stopped for some reason or another," Harbstreit said. "I think distracted driving is a big factor in a lot of things we handle."
Harbstreit says many things can take a driver's attention away from the roadway.
"I don't think it just stops with your telephone," Harbstreit said. "A lady the other day veered over and hit somebody and she admitted, 'I leaned over because I dropped something.' Instead of waiting, there was a collision. When we are driving, we need to pay attention to what we are doing."
His suggestion is pulling over to respond to messages or before picking up items.
"They need to stop and tend to their business and go on," Harbstreit said. "It could be a matter of hurting someone, yourself or even a matter of someone being killed in an accident."
Going hands free
Both Harbstreit and Church believe that drivers should be required to have hands-free calling. This would allow any officer to pull over someone who had their phone out.
"One thing I like in some of the newer vehicles now is that you can attach the phone through the vehicle," Harbstreit said. "Then, you don't even have to touch your telephone to talk to someone if they call you."
That is beneficial because drivers can keep their eyes and both hands on the wheel when driving but still have the use of their phones.
But until then, Indiana law enforcement officers are stuck with an unenforceable law for a major problem.
"When these laws were written, it was a difficult time," Church said. "It is now too, but I think hands-free laws would be the way to go."