GREENWOOD, Ind. — A Greenwood family lost their 9-year-old son nearly four years ago when he was killed by a distracted driver looking at his phone.
The family of Logan Scherer helped push for the new hands-free driving law that took effect July 1 in Indiana.
Logan’s life ended Sept. 15, 2016, in a traffic jam on Interstate 75 near Brooksville, Florida.
A distracted driver using his mobile phone never saw the back up and slammed into the Scherer family's SUV. Logan died instantly. The other three family members suffered critical injuries.
"We don't want anybody else to have to walk in the shoes that we do," said Jordan Scherer, Logan's father. "We wouldn't wish this on our worst enemy. It's — for lack of a better way to put it — it's hell. It's hell on a regular basis to continue taking the steps forward."
One step forward is Indiana's new hands-free driving law, making it illegal to drive while holding a mobile device.
"It's a first step,” Jordan said. "I believe personally there are things that need to be added to this law in future sessions to strengthen it. But in the end, going hands-free is a huge, huge deal. And it is very much a win."
The Scherer family moved to Greenwood from the Tampa area three years ago. They started the Living for Logan Foundation to eliminate distracted driving through education and legislation.
Indiana's previous law prohibited only texting and emailing while driving with a maximum $75 fine. The new law gives police greater ability to enforce anyone holding a mobile device as they drive.
"They brought it up to a certain speed that is going to make it enforceable, where it wasn't before, and that is a tremendous first step," said Brooke Scherer, Logan's mother. "If it is enforceable, then that is going to make people stop, and it's going to make them think, and especially with a $500 fine."
Drivers found in violation of the new Indiana law will be cited and can face fines up to $500 for the first year the law is in effect. Starting in July 2021, points could be assessed to the offender's driver's license.