A Statistician with the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts released it’s total numbers for Texting While Driving cases in North Carolina.
In 2012 there were a total of 1,925 Texting/Emailing While Driving Citations filed in North Carolina. In Guilford County there were a total of 144 Texting While Driving Citations issued in 2012. Which brings us to last year, 2013, where statewide and Guilford County both saw increases in the number of Texting While Driving Cases. North Carolina had a total of 2,402 Texting While Driving Citations and Guilford County had a total of 216 in 2013.
These numbers are a bit staggering when you think of the number of times you find yourself driving somewhere only to see a car almost veer into you and then you see the driver on their phone, Texting away. A week ago and 32 year old woman was driving on I-85 in High Point and she was posting on Facebook Selfies and writing a quote that a song made her Happy at 8:33 AM. One minute later, sadly, her vehicle crossed the median and ran into a heavy duty truck, which unfortunately killed her.
The law which made Texting While Driving Illegal was passed in 2009. The resulting penalty is a $100 fine and court costs. In Greensboro, the police department has seen a steady increase since 2011. In 2011 they only wrote 33 citations and in 2013 they wrote 109. The High Point Police Department had written 11 Texting While Driving Citations and that number rose to 26 in 2013.
Greensboro Police say that a Texting While Driving Officer is easy to spot because they drive a lot like a Drunk Driver would. The drivers weave, run off the road, and run red lights. Police say they have had to follow a driver for sometimes a mile hoping to find a Reasonable Suspicion to check a person’s phone. Police say a majority of the drivers they see texting while driving are in their 20’s and 30’s, but they have found people in their 60’s Texting away while Driving.
Contact our Greensboro Traffic Lawyers and Greensboro Car Accident Lawyers if you or someone you know receives a Traffic Ticket or is charged with Texting While Driving in Greensboro, High Point, or Asheboro – Guilford County or Randolph County.