Maryland outlaws texting while driving

Starting Thursday, Maryland drivers who send text messages while behind the wheel could be fined up to $500.

The law does not ban drivers from using their phones to send e-mails, play games or use other applications, spurring some state delegates to demand more protection against distracted driving.

According to Lora Rakowski, spokesperson for the Maryland State Highway Administration, the law will help save lives.

"With more attentive driving, crashes, as well as their resulting injuries and deaths, can be prevented," Rakowski wrote in an e-mail to The News-Letter.

There are currently no statistics available on the number of crashes directly caused by texting in Maryland. But Rakowski cited a study by the the Transport Research Laboratory that found texting impaired driving. A recent study by the Transportation Institute at Virginia Tech also found that truck drivers who sent text messages while driving were 23.2 times more likely to crash.

The text of the Electronic Communications Traffic Safety Act, however, notes that, "Few studies have quantified the distraction caused by texting while driving."

Under the new law, police officers can pull over drivers if they suspect they are sending text messages, regardless of how they are driving. However, drivers are not required to hand over their phones to an officer unless there is a warrant.

The Baltimore Police Department could not be reached for comment before press time. Text messages to emergency services will not be penalized.

Maryland State Delegate Maggie McIntosh voted in support of the law and was glad to see it had passed. She said that combining the fine with education about the dangers of distracted driving "will change a lot of behavior."

The Democrat delegate represents Maryland District 43, which includes Baltimore City.

Junior Alyssa Moregenstern thought that although the new law was a good idea, it should also be applied to sending e-mails and other similar handheld cellphone usage.

Senior Kim Cirelli agreed. "It's not really logical. If you prohibit one thing you should prohibit all others like it," she said.

Rakowski was unable to comment on why the law does not ban handheld usage beyond text messaging.

McIntosh said she supports a more complete ban, one that would prohibit "e-mailing or any activity that removes one or both hands from the wheel [while driving]."

"I believe that phones should be hands-free-only in cars. I would support Maryland moving in that direction," she said.

Congressional Democrats announced plans on Wednesday for legislation that would require states to ban texting and e-mailing while driving or risk having their federally-supplied highway funding slashed by 25 percent.

Nationally, nearly 6,000 people were killed in distraction-related crashes last year and distraction was the cause behind 16 percent of all fatal crashes, according to the Federal Transportation Department.

According to Rakowski, there were 592 deaths caused by traffic incidents on Maryland roads last year. Inattentive driving was a factor in 38 percent of all Maryland traffic injuries.

"The law itself sends a powerful message to drivers: Writing or sending a text is illegal," Rakowski wrote.

As of today Maryland joins 17 other states and the District of Columbia in banning texting while driving, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

-Additional reporting by John Prendergass