5 Ways Cops Know When You’re Texting and Driving

No one needs to tell Americans they shouldn’t text while driving. They already know it.

In fact, 98 percent of those surveyed by AT&T in 2013 said it isn’t safe to send a text or email while driving. Yet, nearly half of respondents said they text while driving, and four in 10 said it’s a habit. Even states with the best drivers aren’t immune to this problem.

If people won’t stop texting and driving for their own safety, states are hoping drivers will put down their phones to avoid a ticket and fine. Currently, 46 states and the District of Columbia have banned texting while driving, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Of those, 14 won’t allow drivers to use handheld phones at all behind the wheel.

Despite the laws, some drivers keep on texting and driving. Maybe they think they won’t be caught. Maybe they’re wrong.

5 ways to get busted for texting

In Michigan, the law that bans texting while driving has been on the books since 2010, but the problem persists.

“I see it probably at least once a day,” says Steve Bukala, chief of police in Lowell, Michigan.

Bukala notes the practice seems to occur more frequently on the highway than on city roads.

Here are five ways the police know when your eyes are on your phone rather than the road.

1. They see the phone on your steering wheel.

“A lot of [people] aren’t even concerned about hiding it,” Bukala says. “They usually have their phone right on the steering wheel.”

Bukala thinks it’s not hard for police officers to drop behind a car and confirm someone is texting.

Don’t assume your tinted windows are going to hide your phone either.

2. You are constantly looking down.

Do you think you’re sneaky keeping your phone on your lap or on a center console, rather than on the steering wheel? Constantly looking down and to the side, especially if you have only one hand on the steering wheel, can be a dead giveaway.

Bukala says his officers need to actually see the phone before they can pull someone over for texting and driving, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be pulled over for other things. If the cops think you’re texting, they may look to see what else you’re doing wrong.

While Michigan is one of five states where police don’t stop motorists for “primary enforcement” of texting laws, most states with anti-texting legislation do allow officers to pull over a driver for a texting offense alone.