Will Troy's "Distracted Driving" Crackdown Lead to "Distracted Policing"?

Driving in the city of Troy could become a lot more expensive Oct. 1. That's when the police said they will start writing tickets for the controversial "distracted driving" law.

The law has been on the books since July 29. But Troy Police Spokesman Russ Harden said the police have only given warnings thus far.

They start writing tickets Oct. 1, he said.

The ordinance has three parts.

The first bans texting while driving, which is the same as the state law.

The second bans the hand-use of a cell phone.

The third includes behavior that makes motorists unable to maintain control of their car. That could be combing your hair or putting on makeup or eating or drinking.

The ordinance includes "highways" so the law covers the six-mile stretch of I-75 that goes through Troy city limits. Usually, it is the state police that patrol highways but there have been instances where state police work with local police on sting operations.

"We should all know instinctively not to drive while distracted," wrote Janice Daniels of Troy in a message. "However, when governments pressure the citizens to conform to some standard that is literally impossible to achieve by virtue of our being human, then the law abiding citizens end up breaking laws voluntarily to skirt the unreasonableness of the particular laws. I pray that the Troy police officers will not be distracted in combating real crime as a result of their being forced to micromanage common behaviors that will now be criminal."