CVE officer first to focus on local ‘no-texting’ law violators

Above, at right, KSP Commercial Vehicle Enforcement Officer Steve Douglas has undertaken an effort to reduce texting-and-driving in the area.

In the course of just a few hours during a two-day stretch last week, one local police officer issued twice the number of citations to local motorists for texting-while-driving than had been given out total since the law took effect in Kentucky in 2011.

Steve Douglas, Region 4 Public Affairs Officer for Kentucky State Police Division of Commercial Vehicle Enforcement, said he was surprised how the ten drivers he cited for the offense during his enforcement effort reacted when he told them they had been pulled over.

“Most of the people knew immediately why they were being stopped,” Douglas said. “Actually, most all of them admitted to the offense. It was obvious they were texting and driving. They were clearly focused on their phone.”

Douglas, a former Corbin city police officer who joined KSP Vehicle Enforcement in 2008, observed motorists last Thursday and Friday along Main and Kentucky Streets in downtown Corbin. Of the 10 citations he wrote, eight were solely for “communication device violations.” Two others had extra charges, including one driver who had expired registration plates and another who was driving on a suspended or revoked license.

“Some of the folks actually had the phone on the steering wheel being balanced and texting on it while in operation of the vehicle. This was on Main and Kentucky Streets so obviously they were in close proximity to other traffic and pedestrians,” Douglas said. “I think driving like that is very dangerous. It’s probably something that we should go out and target more often.”

All 10 drivers can prepay the $25 fine associated with the texting-while-driving offenses, or appear before Judge Frank White on Oct. 24 in Whitley District Court to answer to the charge. A guilty plea, or conviction, also includes court costs of roughly $133. New administrative regulations put in place by Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear in 2013 also mean that drivers found guilty of the offense will be assessed three “penalty points” on their operator’s license for each no-texting violation.

According to partial Whitley District Court records, only five citations had been written to drivers for no-texting violations in Whitley County since the law went into effect in 2011. The number of citations issued in Whitley District Court in Williamsburg were not available because the court’s computer system has been offline for the last several days.

Of the five citations previously issued, three of them were given by Corbin police officer Jeff Hill — two in 2012 and one in 2011. Only one of the drivers cited paid a fine. The other two cases were dismissed.

The remaining two citations issued for communication device violations were by Whitley County Deputy Sheriff Tim Baker (in 2011) and KSP Trooper Ryan Loudermilk last year. Both drivers in those cases paid fines.

The 10 citations Douglas issued last week represent the first focused effort to crackdown on texting-while-driving in Whitley County since the law against it took effect.

In 2014, 1,873 citations for violations of the state’s no-texting law were issued in Kentucky, more than double the year prior. The numbers have been steadily increasing despite some complaints from law enforcement officials that it can be difficult to enforce.
Douglas said he thinks so few have been written locally because often resource-strapped departments don’t have the time to engage in dedicated enforcement efforts of the law.

“Law enforcement officers, especially with city and county police agencies, are just very busy running from call to call so it’s hard for them to take the time to do it,” Douglas said. “Vehicle Enforcement focuses more on traffic related enforcement so it’s what we deal with all of the time.”

In Kentucky, no one is allowed to text on any mobile device while driving. Drivers under 18 are forbidden from any use of a cell phone while driving.

Officials say distracted driving is one of the main causes of traffic crashes. In Kentucky, the year the law first took effect, 53,600 motor vehicle accidents were attributed, at least partly, to distracted driving.

A 2014 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found that risk of a crash, or near crash, was 17 percent higher if a driver was using a cell phone.