Carl Brizzi is a two term former elected prosecutor in Indianapolis who now uses his considerable trial experience representing accident victims. He writes blogs and articles to share important information relating to motor vehicle accidents and Indiana personal injury law. Many of the topics come from real questions from current or past clients, as well as, timely and relevant news related to his firm’s practice areas.

In this article, Carl discusses “Indiana’s No Texting and Driving Law.”

Texting while driving is dangerous. Here are some facts.

📱⚠ Five seconds is the average time a driver’s eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling 55 mph that is enough time to cover the length of a football field.

📱⚠ In 2011, at least 23 percent of auto collisions involved cell phones, equaling 1.3 million crashes.

📱⚠ At any given daylight moment across America, about 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or manipulating electronic devices while driving.  

Indiana’s Distracted Driving Law, Indiana Code 9-21-8-59, makes it illegal for drivers to type a text message, transmit a message or read emails while driving. Regardless of the driver’s age, it is also illegal to text or surf the web even if you are stopped at a traffic light. Furthermore, any driver under the age of 18 are prohibited from using a cell phone for ANY reason, handheld, or hand-free, while driving.

Indiana’s Distracted Driving Law is considered a “Primary Law” meaning that an officer can pull you over for the offense without having to see any other violation. Practically speaking, this means that an officer who sees you texting can pull you over immediately and issue a citation. The citation can be costly and could negatively impact your driving record.

Many of the accident cases I handle involve distracted drivers.

If you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle accident or have questions related to distracted driving or other negligence, contact Carl Brizzi at 317-636-7497 immediately for a free case evaluation.