(INDIANAPOLIS) — Police say the first six months of Indiana’s ban on cell phone use while driving
has gotten drivers to change their habits.
The ban took effect July 1, replacing a narrower ban on texting while driving, which police said was
difficult to enforce. In the first six months of the new law, police issued about 1,900 tickets for
violating the ban after it took effect in July. But State Police spokesman Ron Galaviz says officers
issued nearly three times that many warnings. He says the main focus was on making people aware
of the law. He says the balance is shifting more towards enforcement now.
Governor Holcomb credited the law in his State of the State address with reducing the number of car
crashes. The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute says there have been 400 fewer cell phone-related
crashes since the law took effect compared to the same six-month period last year, a 12% improvement.
