Deseret Morning News
SALT LAKE CITY — A state law banning texting while driving has done little to end the practice in Utah, where survey results released Wednesday show the number of adults who have acknowledged texting behind the wheel has only grown since the law took effect in July.
The Utah Department of Health survey shows that 26 percent of adult drivers text and drive daily, up from 23 percent before the ban was put in place.
“Obviously, people still aren’t aware that the law is in place,” said Kevin Condra, spokesman for the health department’s violence and injury prevention program.
Utah is one of about two dozen states to pass a law prohibiting drivers of all ages from sending text messages while driving in an effort to reduce collisions caused by distracted driving. In 2008, cell phones were the leading cause of driver distraction, according to the Utah Highway Safety Office. There were 882 crashes where the driver was known to be on a cell phone or texting.
Law enforcement officials warned state lawmakers that the texting ban would be difficult to enforce when they passed it last year. The number of citations issued for texting while driving was not readily available. Utah Highway Patrol spokesman Cameron Roden said he could not immediately comment on the survey results. Anyone convicted of sending text messages while operating a moving motor vehicle is guilty of a class C misdemeanor.
Penalties can be increased for repeat offenses, if a crash happens while someone is texting or if someone dies in a crash where texting is involved. Exemptions are made for messages sent during a medical emergency or to report an accident or suspicious activity to police. The report is based on a survey of about 2,300 drivers. It says adults 18 to 34 years old are more likely to text and drive than any other age group, and that men are more likely to text and drive than women.
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