New Texting Law In Kansas In Effect Jan. 1

After a six-month warning period, law enforcement officers will begin handing out tickets on Jan. 1 to anyone they catch texting while driving. The tickets will cost $60, plus any local court fines. The law also bans instant messages and e-mails while driving.

Lt. Robert Baker, of the Kansas Highway Patrol, says officers can easily tell the difference between texting and making a phone call. He told The Lawrence Journal-World that someone making a phone call looks at the phone for only a few seconds, while texting requires looking at the phone for much longer.

The law includes exceptions for reading emergency, traffic and weather related alerts, and to report a crime.