Distracted Driving in Idaho

With smartphones and other tempting gadgets within reach behind the wheel, it’s important to understand what distracted driving is and how the laws work. Studies have shown driving while distracted increases your chances of an accident. It is also illegal in most states.

But different states define distracted driving in various ways. They also have different laws to govern it. The following describes distracted driving in Idaho and what the applicable laws are.

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What is distracted driving?

Distracted driving is operating a vehicle while engaged in any activity that takes your attention from the road. Texting, talking on the phone, eating, drinking, shaving, and fiddling with the stereo are all distracting activities.

They divert your eyes and your attention from the task of driving. Looking away from the road for only a few seconds to send a text can be deadly.

At 80 miles per hour — the max speed limit on Idaho’s interstates — you travel the length of a football field in under three seconds. You wouldn’t drive this far with your eyes closed. But you’re basically doing the same thing when you drive distracted.

– History of Distracted Driving in the United States

Distracted driving is disturbingly prevalent in the United States. A 2011 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study revealed that 69 percent of U.S. drivers admitted to talking on the phone while driving. Perhaps scarier, 31 percent admitted to texting while driving.

The results can be disastrous and often deadly. In 2013, over 3,000 people were killed in distracted driving crashes and another 424,000 injured. This amounts to over eight deaths and 1,100 injuries per day.

– History of Distracted Driving in Idaho

Idaho logged 39 deaths from distracted driving in 2014. The number sounds small, but it’s over one percent of the number of deaths nationally. Idaho’s population, meanwhile, is 0.5 percent of the U.S. population. This means Idaho residents die from distracted driving at more than twice the national rate.

Laws About Distracted Driving in Idaho

Idaho’s distracted driving laws are some of the nation’s toughest. Here are some things you should know:

– Use of Mobile Phones While Driving

In Idaho, it is illegal to read anything on a digital screen while driving. This doesn’t mean just text messages. Even punching in a number to make a phone call constitutes distracted driving in Idaho. To drive and talk on the phone legally, you need a hands-free device and voice-activated dialing.

– Texting While Driving

It is 100 percent illegal to text while driving in Idaho. The texting ban went into effect in 2012. Not only can you not send a text while driving but you also cannot read an incoming message. If it’s on your phone screen and you read it while driving, you’re breaking the law.

– Eating or Drinking While Driving

As of 2017, Idaho has no specific laws on the books prohibiting eating or drinking while driving. But police officers still have the discretion to issue citations if your driving is compromised. If a distraction such as food or drink prevents you from staying between the lines or following traffic laws, you can receive a ticket.

The Impact of Distracted Driving

Driving while distracted carries more than legal consequences. It can impact your safety as well as that of anyone you’re carrying in your vehicle. It also potentially compromises the well-being of other drivers on the road.

– Impact on Yourself and Passengers

Distracted driving increases your chances of an accident. A crash can result in damage to your vehicle, monetary loss, higher insurance rates, and even the loss of driving privileges. Worse still, you can be seriously injured or even die.

Accidents can happen no matter how careful you are. But you’re upping your chances when you don’t pay full attention to the road.

When you’re carrying passengers, you risk injuring them, too. They can sue you for injuries you cause to them by driving distracted. Also, do you really want it on your conscience if a friend or relative dies because you couldn’t wait to send a text?

Distracted driving also endangers others on the road. Particularly in crowded driving conditions, veering out of your lane for a second can cause a domino collision that ensnares many cars, potentially injuring dozens of people.

– Distracted Driving Statistics in Idaho

Idaho’s statistics on distracted driving are sobering. The Idaho Transportation Department reports distracted driving causes one in three fatal crashes in the state.

Consequently, police are cracking down to keep people’s attention on driving. They handed out 511 distracted driving citations in 2015. That number is climbing every year.

Opinions are mixed on the effects of these efforts. Idaho traffic deaths trended sharply downward for many years. They bottomed out in 2014. But they began rising again in 2015. The year 2016 saw another 9 percent increase from 2015.

Some analysts still think Idaho’s tough laws and stronger enforcement are making a difference. As evidence, they point to the fatality rate still being much lower than it was in, say, 2006.

But others say different factors, such as the economic recession, caused the decline in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Now that the economy is on the rise again, people are driving more, and fatalities are increasing.

Ways to Avoid Distracted Driving

You can do your part to make the Idaho roads safer by taking steps to avoid distracted driving. Here are some ways to do it:

• Put your phone out of reach – You might think you have the willpower to avoid pulling it out of your pocket and firing off a quick text. But why chance it? If you’re serious about not using your phone while driving, then store it somewhere that you cannot reach it.
• Silence notifications on your phone – You might have the best of intentions to not use your phone while driving. But then you receive a text message. Just like that, you have your phone in front of you. Avoid the temptation by turning notifications off.
• Avoid eating or drinking in the car – Fill your belly before you leave, and stop along the way if you get hungry or thirsty.
• Sign a pledge against distracted driving – Formally acknowledge that you won’t engage in distracting activities behind the wheel.
• Talk to your teens – Unfortunately, statistics point to teens as the worst offenders for distracted driving, particularly texting. If you have young drivers in your home, have regular conversations with them about the dangers of distracted driving.

Comparison Shopping for the Right Coverage

Distraction-free driving can keep you from having accidents or receiving moving violations. Maintaining a good driving record is essential for keeping your insurance rates as low as possible.

Regardless of your driving record, doing the following ensures you always have the best insurance coverage:

– Review Your Policy Every Six Months

Car insurance is constantly in a state of flux. Just because your policy was the best available when you took it out six months ago doesn’t mean it still is. Insurance companies and individual policies both change over time.

Perhaps a competitor now offers a policy that provides more coverage for a lower premium. Maybe you had a moving violation over the past six months that is going to double your premiums with your current company. Another insurer may offer you a better deal.

You should always review your insurance policy every six months. Doing so keeps you apprised of the best options available to you.

– Compare Three to Four Policies

Never go with the first auto insurance policy you’re offered. Even if it sounds great, you might be missing out on a potentially better deal.

Comparing three or four policies gives you a more thorough picture of what’s out there. You can compare them side by side and pick the one that best fits your needs.

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