HUNTSVILLE, AL (WAFF) -
If someone asked you to close your eyes while driving for five seconds, you probably wouldn't do it. However, many test that same experiment every time they text behind the wheel.
It's been two years since Huntsville rolled out its own texting while driving ban and the state's ban is just over a month old. But are they making our roads safer?
Texting behind the wheel has already been dubbed the new DUI because it has the ability to impair drivers, in some cases even worse than alcohol.
"A person that is texting and driving, his eyes are down. He's not even looking at where he is going," said State Trooper Curtis Summerville.
The warning signs around Huntsville are now two years old and the threat of a fine is still real, but some feel they haven't done enough to make an impression.
"We know the law is there, but is it really being enforced," said driver Jackie McShan.
In two years, Huntsville officers have issued three citations under the ban. More warnings go out than tickets.
"We're not out here to punish the public writing tickets, we're out here to change a culture," said HPD officer Nathan Nickelson.
He added there have always been two goals with the texting ban, and that is enforcement and education.
"There's absolutely no text, no email, no phone call that can't wait until you get there," said Nickelson.
Research shows if you look down for 4.6 seconds to text while driving 55 mph, that's enough time to drive the length of a football field.
State officials believe 2/3 of the accidents investigated involve some sort of a distraction. The statewide numbers back that up.
According to the Alabama Department of Public Safety, in 2010, 931 crashes were reported where electronic devices contributed, with three fatalities. In 2011, 993 crashes were reported with seven fatalities.
According to the Center for Advanced Public Safety at the University of Alabama, those numbers may be under reported. Their data shows 132 Alabama drivers were killed by distracted driving in 2011.
Summerville admitted the difficulty with the law is that distracted driving is hard to observe and prove.
"In order to build a case, we have to make sure that this person is texting and not just dialing a cell phone," said Summerville.
It gives police an extra hurdle to effectively use the law. So far, in the first month of Alabama's texting ban, 14 citations have been issued statewide. It's still too soon to tell if it has made roads safer.
Even Huntsville Police admit it's impossible to tell just how many accidents were caused by people texting behind the wheel.
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