New Jersey Motorcycle Accident Victims Call for Stricter Fines for Texting Drivers
A New Jersey husband and wife, who were seriously injured in a motorcycle accident they blame on a young driver texting at the wheel, are calling for stricter punishments for those who indulge in such distracted driving.
Linda and David Kubert were motorcycling in Morris County when they were struck by a pickup truck. The Kuberts say they saw the driver of the pickup truck using his cell phone at the time of the crash. The two were seriously injured in the motorcycle accident. Both lost a leg each. The 18 year old driver meanwhile, got away with a slap on the wrist. He received three tickets - for using a handheld cell phone, careless driving and making an unsafe lane change.
The Kuberts have now begun a campaign to strengthen penalties for drivers who use hand held cell phones while driving. They say they are extremely distressed about the light punishments handed out to motorists, who think nothing of carrying out text conversations while driving.
Kubert has written to State Senate Majority Leader Steve Sweeney, and is planning to write to more legislators to pressure them to increase penalties on drivers who violate the texting ban. The $100 fine that motorists can now expect if they use a handheld phone behind the wheel, is not enough of a deterrent, the Kuberts believe.
As a New Jersey motorcycle accident lawyer, who would like to see harsher penalties for texting while driving, I agree. There is very little point in having laws with no bite. A hundred dollars is not much of a penalty when you consider what the Kuberts have lost. Currently, Utah has something approaching harsh penalties for texting drivers - 3 months in jail and up to $750 in fines. We need to have similar deterrents in New Jersey.
While texting while driving is obviously terrible and deserves a stricter ban, will they be worth the trouble? People will only listen to them if they are caught or know people who got caught. It is almost impossible to catch someone who is texting while driving, so people will just igonre the rules, thinking they will not get caught. They only time they can get caught is after the accident, and by then it is too late.Maybe other tactics, like advertisements andd scare campaigns will help, but will laws really be effective?