What’s up with that?

Q: Are drivers who text getting ticketed?

A: Yes—26 so far just in Troop A.

On Aug. 15, police gained the authority to pull over and ticket drivers for text messaging as a primary offense. But casual observations around town—especially at red lights—shows Baton Rouge drivers keep texting away.

Despite such anecdotal examples, the law is having an effect, says state police spokesman Russell Graham. “The law is a deterrent,” he says. “I’ve talked to people face-to-face who have told me, ‘I used to text and drive, but I don’t anymore because it’s against the law.’”

For the first 60 days after the law took effect, officers simply warned violators. In the four months since they began issuing tickets, Troop A officers issued 26 primary tickets for distracted driving, plus another 39 secondary violations with tickets for other infractions.

No figures were available for Baton Rouge.

One local businessman continues to make it his mission—and business plan—to fight texting and driving.

“Texting behind the wheel—or any kind of distracted driving—is a $100 billion problem,” says Chuck Cox, CEO of CellControl, which sells technology that deters distracted driving. Fully 28% of accidents occur because the driver is distracted, Cox says.

“Texting behind the wheel, e-mailing behind the wheel, even talking behind the wheel—it distracts you,” Cox says.

CellControl was started two years ago by Robert Guba and Don Powers. It employs technology that allows companies operating fleets of vehicles—such as delivery vans, for example—to disable or limit cell phone use while drivers are behind the wheel.

For their part, law enforcement will keep fighting the problem. “We’re going to continue to be aggressive,” says Graham. “We’re pulling people over and giving them tickets for distracted driving.”

Learn more at cellcontrol.com or trafficsafety.org.