By Nicole June
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (CLARKSVILLENOW) – Recent reports say texting and driving is a growing problem nationwide, and one Clarksville mother is fed up with it.
Amy Simmans lives on Summerhaven Rd. at the entrance to a subdivision located off Tiny Town Rd., an area known for heavy traffic and long wait times. She is a mother of six and says at least 20 other children live on her stretch of road.
Simmans said these children are unable to play outside the confines of their backyards because the street is simply too dangerous, mostly due to drivers who text and/or speed through the neighborhood.
“Every car that passes is staring at their phone,” Simmans said. “It’s infuriating.”
The road forms an S curve, which makes for hazardous conditions for those not paying attention. Two school bus stops are also located on that portion of the road, and Simmans fears the worst.
She said she frequently watches drivers come around the curve that have to swerve to avoid other vehicles as they drift into the other lane, narrowly avoiding a collision.
Simmans decided to take action by placing signs on her property to ask drivers to put their phones down and pay attention to the road.
She said she has not been confronted by anyone about the signs and actually sees many people wave to her or occasionally pull over to finish a text. Though the problem persists, she said it appears the number of texting drivers has decreased in her neighborhood.
“I don’t know if it’s because I’m out there or because of the signs, but I’ve seen a lot less texting,” she said. “I expected to get my house egged or some other kind of backlash.”
Texting while operating a vehicle is illegal in the state of Tennessee and is considered a class C misdemeanor. The penalty consists of a $50 fine plus court costs and three points on your driving record. First-time offenders are also required to attend and complete a driver’s ed course.
Simmans believes that perhaps a harsher penalty would deter more people from texting and driving.
Lt. Philip Ashby with the Clarksville Police Department’s Traffic Unit said that between January 1, 2016 and September 16, 2016 there have been 79 citations for violation of the texting law.
“Ninety-nine percent of the complaints that come into the Traffic Unit are about speeding in neighborhoods and along with the Street Department, we do a traffic study to see what can be done. Traffic Unit Officers do most of their enforcement along main roadways, but we help the District Patrol Officer to step up enforcement when we have complaints,” Ashby said.
He said while on patrol officers look for the typical signs of texting, including phone on the steering wheel, driver constantly looking down, and the glow from the screen at night. Officers in SUVs or riding motorcycles are able to look directly into a person’s vehicle to see people texting or reading messages.
To file a complaint about texting and driving, call the Clarksville Police Department at 931-648-0656.