Drivers must drop the cell phone habit tomorrow

A new state law goes into effect tomorrow, making it illegal to hold and use your cell phone while on the road.

Indiana State Police point out that making a phone call while driving may increase your odds of being in a crash by as much as 400 percent. While it only takes a few seconds to read a text message, a car going 55 mph travels about the length of a football field every five seconds. Troopers say that there are an estimated 1.6 million crashes a year in North America that are attributed to distracted driving.

The new law has two exceptions. You can use a phone to make an emergency call to 911. And you can use hands free or voice controls to make and receive calls.

State police are suggesting that you familiarize yourself with your phones hand-free technology and consider using products such as a phone mount.