Cape Town Trying New Approach To Deal With Texting While Driving Offenders

The United States is a country that has a huge problem with drivers who text while driving. Now Cape Town, South Africa is trying to deal with the same exact problem. Now, there has been a new law proposed in Cape Town which would allow police officers to seize cell phones from people who are texting while driving. This is a very unique approach to fixing this problem.
If you can take away the cell phones, then this sends a message to drivers that they must comply with the no texting while driving laws. Additionally, there are heavy fines and penalties for committing the offense. The drivers get their phones returned in one business day but they have to first pay a fine which is R500 on the first offense. Each additional offense incurs a larger fine.
 
The action is one that is necessary because there has been an increase in car accident related claims and fatalities. Politicians hope that the law will be passed because it could reduce car insurance rates.
The way that this would be accomplished is that if they can reduce the number of claims then insurance premium costs will drop for the entire car insurance pool. This will be a huge help to drivers. Many accidents are caused by distractions so being able to reduce claims by taking away cell phones is important.
Deterring drivers from texting while drivers can be a difficult task to undertake. People are often selfish and they do not think that their actions have consequences. Many politicians think that this law should be enacted all over South Africa. The problem has become an epidemic in many countries because drivers often do not get caught engaging in the illegal behavior by authorities.
 
Drivers can use Bluetooth devices to avoid using their hand sets. However, Bluetooth does not allow drivers to text without their hands so they still cannot resist the temptation to pick up their phones and send text messages. Many car insurance companies are in favor of a ban on cell phone usage across South Africa because they hate the idea of having to continually pay out compensation for insurance claims related to the practice.
It is critical for drivers to understand that their cell phones will be seized if they are caught texting while driving. This can be serious for people who use their cell phones a lot during the day. Hopefully, the law will help drivers in Cape Town be safer.