Lawmakers and officers in both North and South Carolina are beginning to take notice of the dangers of distracted drivers.
In fact, in North Carolina, a law passed in June, which bans all texting while driving.
That law goes into effect on Dec. 1 and carries a $100 fine for violators.
Police officers working the streets say mobile devices are presenting an increasing problem on the roads.
Officers say between people talking on their cell phones, checking emails and texting, drivers are becoming more and more distracted every day.
"Every other car you see, someone's on the phone or they're texting, and it's taking a lot from them paying attention to the roadway," said Cpl. Legrande Gowdy of the Florence Police Department.
"There's so many gizmos and gadgets in the car anymore that it divides people's attention and if they're looking down, they're not seeing pedestrians or oncoming traffic," said Sgt. Jason Butler of the Laurinburg Police Department.
Police officers say they've become more skilled at identifying distracted drivers, by looking for those weaving along the roadway, or simply not paying attention to the rules of the road.
"It's a very common thing for people to be looking away from the roadway, not paying attention to where they're going. A lot of times you'll see people changing lanes or speeding simply because they're not paying attention," Gowdy said.
In December, North Carolina officers will start enforcing the state's new text messaging law, but many officers say it may not always be easy to catch people in the act.
"It's one of those laws that's hard to enforce, and my take on it is, if there's somebody looking down and dialing a number or sending a text message and I'm passing somebody, you only get a quick glance," Butler said.
Officers do say though, that they'll be looking for those obvious signs, and even in South Carolina, can pull you over, if you're an extremely distracted driver.
"We can still write them a careless operation ticket, 'cause it is pretty careless if you're not looking at the roadway or watching where you're going. It takes a split second for someone to slam on brakes, or a kid to run out in front of you, someone to change lanes, a traffic light to change, and if you're not looking at the road, accidents will happen," Gowdy said.
South Carolina does not currently have any laws that prohibit using a cell phone while driving.
Officers would like to remind drivers to pull over on the side of the road if they need to make a phone call, or compose a text message.
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