"Texting and driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents in Indiana and across the nation. Our state is long overdue for this kind of legislation," said Rep. Rhoads. House Bill 1129 would make sending or reading a text message or e-mail while driving a motor vehicle a Class C infraction. In 2009, the Indiana General Assembly passed legislation that would ban teen drivers under the age of 18 from texting or emailing while driving a motor vehicle. Since 2009, the legislature has received feedback from constituents urging the passage of legislation to include all Hoosier drivers. "It only takes a few seconds for something to happen on the road. Drivers need to have as few distractions as possible so they can react immediately," said Rep. Rhoads. Data from the National Safety Council shows that 1.4 million car accidents that occur annually are caused by drivers talking on the phone or texting-more than 200,000 alone are caused by texting. "We've seen too many Hoosiers killed or injured because they or another driver were texting," said Rep. Rhoads. "Drivers would still be able to use a hands-free device to send or read a text message, keeping their hands on the wheel and their eyes on the road." Thirty other states already have similar laws in place, causing the amount of drivers seen texting behind the wheel to decrease. House Bill 1129 passed the House with a 85-11 vote. It will soon be heard in the Senate for further discussion. If passed into law, it will go into effect in July 2011. To view up-to-date information regarding this legislation and others, visit www.in.gov/legislative.
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