CanTruckDriversUseCellPhonesIndiana cell phones text messaging laws, legislation. Last updated June 3. Cell phone, texting update State Rep. Milo Smith targeted handheld cell phone use with his House Bill 1. The state currently bars adults from texting while driving, but not talking on cell phones. The states texting driving law applies only to text messaging, not many other smartphone functions such browsing the Internet. A federal appeals court said in a drug case that Indianas texting driving law is essentially useless because police have no way of telling what drivers are doing with their wireless devices. The court ruled in February 2. Few tickets have been written under the states texting law, police say, because it is hard to tell if a driver is illegally texting or legally entering a phone number or using GPS. Can Truck Drivers Use Cell Phones' title='Can Truck Drivers Use Cell Phones' />The Indiana texting driving law became effective July 1, 2. Indiana was the 3. Current prohibitions Text messaging prohibited for all drivers while vehicle is in motion. Fines up to 5. 00. Can Truck Drivers Use Cell Phones' title='Can Truck Drivers Use Cell Phones' />Drivers under the age of 1. Distracted driving legislation 2. House Bill 1. 25. Would require use of hands free accessory to use cell phone while driving in Indiana. M. SmithSenate Bill 3. Would outlaw driving a vehicle while holding an animal in lap or arms. Can Truck Drivers Use Cell Phones' title='Can Truck Drivers Use Cell Phones' />Includes animal between legs or blocking drivers view. KruseDistracted driving notes 2. State Rep. Sheila Klinker says it might be time to go back to the drawing board on Indianas distracted driving law. The legislator says handheld cell phone use and video conferencing probably should be prohibited. Its an unfortunate fact that not all drivers are friendly. There is a chance you may run into an aggressive driver at any time. Are you prepared Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming 3,477 lives in 2015 alone. NHTSA leads the national effort to save lives by preventing this dangerous behavior. Get the. Press Release Location Release Date NHTSA Releases More Data on Takata Air Bag Repairs Washington, DC November 29, 2017. Senate Bill 7. 9 Would restrict drivers use of telecommunications devices to phone calls, GPS and apps that locate gas stations. These functions permitted only for drivers at least 2. All other uses prohibited. Miller2. 01. 6 distracted driving notes State Sen. Pete Miller tried a new approach with his distracted driving bill for 2. It would have allowed adult drivers to use their communications devices for phone calls, as GPS units, and for seeking information on gas stations. No other uses would be permitted, including texting. Miller also tried for a handheld cell phone ban in 2. Senate Bill 2. 40 Would require use of hands free or voice operated modes when making or receiving phone calls while driving. Died in committee. MillerHouse Bill 1. Would outlaw handheld use of cell phones for making or receiving calls while driving. Same as SB 2. 40, above. M. Smith2. 01. 5 distracted driving notes State Sen. Pete Millers bill for 2. Millers bill was inspired by an accident in which he was making a call, hit an overpass and totaled his SUV. I was trying to call my kids orthodontist, said Miller, R Avon. In the House, state Rep. Milo Smith has the companion bill. Only 4. 67 tickets were written in 2. Indiana Criminal Justice Institute says. No distracted driving legislation was under consideration in 2. State Sen. Jim Merritt cited the independence of the Hoosier as a reason further legislation was unlikely to succeed. Merritt told Fox. May 2. 01. 4 that he planned to do some polling on the issue. Merritt, R Indianapolis, says hes open to consideration of a general ban on handheld cell phone use, but doubts Indiana lawmakers will be interested. I dont think that realistically a handheld ban will ever happen, because of the independence of the Hoosier, Merritt told Fox 5. May. 2. 01. 3 distracted driving notes State Sen. Travis Holdman, father of Indianas texting law, says hes puzzled by the reticence of police to enforce it. He told the Courier Journal that my fear is that theyre going to see legislation in a few years to ban handheld devices while driving. I would hate to see that happen. Indiana State Police kept busy during the June 2. State Trooper Project. About 2,0. 00 citations were issued on major interstates in Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky from June 1. Cell phone use was linked to 9. The number of overall distracted driving related crashes increased in Indiana, however, officials said. No distracted driving legislation was under consideration by the Indiana General Assembly in 2. Senate Bill 3. 42 Would create offense of recklessly, knowingly, or intentionally using a handheld electronic communications device in work zones. Hands free and voice activated OK. Class A misdemeanor. BrodenSB 1. 96 Would bar police from downloading information from a cell phone in relation to a violation of the state law against text messaging and driving. State law already prohibits seizure or confiscation of cell phones in texting driving cases. Waltz2. 01. 2 distracted driving notes We are tired of seeing the devastation from texting and driving, a Fort Wayne emergency room worker told Granite Broadcasting. Traffic deaths in the northeast part of the state were on the rise in the first half of 2. Indiana State Police say theyll use planes to help identify distracted drivers. A crackdown is set for the northeast part of the state, according to reports June 2. The police are targeting text messaging, weaving and drowsy drivers. The move comes weeks after news that State Police had issued only 1. July 2. 01. 1. In Indianapolis, only five tickets were written over that 1. House Bill 1. 12. Seeks to ban phone calling and text messaging by drivers using handheld electronic devices. Hands free texting OK. Bars police from confiscating texting devices for this offense. Class C infraction, fines up to 5. Approved Jan. 2. 0 by the House Public Policy Committee in a 1. Approved by the House in an 8. Jan. 2. 5 and sent to the Senate. Approved by the Senate corrections committee in a 7 2 vote on March 1. Amended by the Senate March 1. Approved by the full Senate in a 2. March 1. 5 returned to the House. Rewritten April 2. Senates addition of cell phone ban. Bill returned to both houses. Approved by the House in an 8. April 2. 8. Approved by the Senate in a 2. April 2. 9. Latest action Signed into law by Gov. Mitch Daniels on May 1. Gta San Andreas Extreme Edition 2011 Download. Read House Enrolled Act 1. Law took effect July 1, 2. KochIndiana Senate Bill 1. Would outlaw text messaging while driving and restrict use of cell phones to hands free operation. Offenses would be Class C infractions, similar to traffic tickets. Approved by the Senate Public Policy Committee on Feb. Latest action Approved by the full Senate in a 2. Feb. 1. 7 and sent to the House. Dead. HoldmanHB 1. In cases of vehicular reckless homicide, a Class C felony, courts allowed to consider whether accused was using a handheld cell phone at the time of a crash among other factors. Heavily amended in Roads and Transportation Committee on Feb. Call withdrawn during second reading in House on March 2. Dead. Yarde2. 01. There was no warning period for Indianas texting and driving ban Drivers have had plenty of notice about the law, a spokesman for the State Police said. On May 1. 1, 2. 01. Gov. Mitch Daniels signed the texting legislation sent to him by the House and Senate. The Senate had expanded the original House bill to include a ban on use of handheld cell phones while driving, but that element was removed by a conference committee. The new law which gets primary enforcement is restricted to the reading, writing and sending of text messages while a vehicle is in motion. Hands free voice activated texting OK. State Senator Tom Wyss, R Fort Wayne, said correctly of the Senates addition of a handheld cell phone to HB 1. Its going to cause a lot of people to oppose it. Statistics. Statistics. Individuals who drive while sending or reading text messages are 2. A crash typically happens within an average of three seconds after a driver is distracted. Facts About Texting Driving. The United States Department of Transportation notes that cell phones are involved in 1. According to Focus. Driven, up to 8. During any point of the day, 1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. A study from the University of Utah indicated that the reaction time of a teen driver using a cell phone is the same as that of a 7. According to the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, texting while driving is six times more likely to cause an auto crash than driving when intoxicated. The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute installed cameras on dashboards inside truck cabs. From the video footage, on average it took five seconds with their eyes off the road when drivers experienced distractions. The distance covered in five seconds of driving at 5. Sources AAA, United States Department of Transportation, University of Utah, Focus. Driven Nationwide Insurance study, National Highway Trac Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute.