This was a crash waiting to happen and I am amazed that a crash like this has not happened more often.  About one year ago a police officer was driving his cruiser in Austin Texas.  As he approached an intersection with a stop sign facing him he reached out a typed on the keypad to his computer counsel common to many police vehicles.  Unfortunately, he failed to stop at the stop sign and crashed into a motorcycle rider causing severe injury.  The motorcycle crash and the injuries are reported by KVUE.

Have you ever seen the inside of a police cruiser?  Typically there is a pile of paper and what resembles a portable file cabinet containing all the forms  the officer requires. There is almost always a laptop computer positioned on a stand that holds the laptop, usually tilted toward the officer.  Furthermore, the officer typically has a radio and often a radio earpiece plugged into their ear.  You probably know where I am heading here - that's right - sensory overload!  We have officers in Utah that are expected to be on the watch for criminal and traffic violations while cruising in their vehicles.  They are inundated with information from their radios and computers.  They are entering license plate numbers and receiving answers to their queries. All of this while driving, looking out for violations and typing on a computer - a crash waiting to happen.

Utah law makes texting for civilians an unlawful act.  The law is codified in section 41-6a-1716  and makes texting a class C misdemeanor and a class B misdemeanor if texting and causing serious bodily injury.  What is good for the goose should be good for the gander.  What I mean is that if texting is unlawful for civilians should it not be unlawful for police?  I know the argument is that police will not be able to properly do their duty if they cannot access their on-board computers.  I am not saying we should get rid of the computers all together.  What I am saying is maybe we should consider and investigate alternatives that will allow the officer to do his or her job while being safe.  This is as much a goal to protect civilians as it is a goal to protect the very officers that protect us.

The motorcyclist in Texas sued the city and won.  It was a terrible experience for the motorcyclist - no doubt it was also a terrible experience for the officer involved as well.  Most police officers join the force to help and protect the citizens of their town or city.  When an officer unintentionally harms a citizen it certainly is not fun for any involved.  Furthermore, if that is not incentive enough, we, the citizens, end up paying the settlement.  As part of protecting the citizens is it not incumbent upon the police to look into locking the keyboards to cruiser computers while the cruiser is in motion? I know the technology is out there and relatively cheap.

Utah Bike Law is a law firm and its lawyers are dedicated to representing injured motorcycle riders and their families.  If you or a loved one were involved in a motorcycle crash in Utah we invite you to call for a free confidential consultation.  There is no obligation and you are not charged any fees whatsoever unless we recover money for you. Utah Bike Law and its attorneys are licensed to practice law only in the State of Utah and maintain offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. No attorney client relationship is established by simply visiting this website.

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