Utah recently made changes to their ban on texting behind the wheel that were supposed to make it easier for prosecutors to get convictions in instances where people who were texting on their phone caused an injurious or fatal accident. But at this moment in time, no such convictions have been had.
Previously, the law was such that a text had to be sent at the precise moment that the traffic accident took place. One minute in either direction and the individual could state that he or she was merely looking at the screen, an act that wasn’t necessarily illegal. That loophole has now been closed, but a review of court records shows no successful misdemeanor or felony prosecutions yet.
Right now, part of the problem might be the fact that the cases currently under prosecution stem from incidents that took place long before the amendment to the law was passed. In the instance of one case where an individual is accused of texting before colliding with and killing a pedestrian, the district attorney is attempting to compile enough evidence to demonstrate that a text had occurred at the exact moment of the crash.
The Deputy Attorney of Davis County states that education is the most important step that can be taken to stop future accidents. After all, prevention is always going to be preferable to attempting to correct the habit after an accident has already occurred. Hopefully citizens across the country will cease texting behind the wheel.