District of Columbia: Cell phone laws, bills
June 30, 2008
Current prohibitions:
Drivers must use hands-free devices.
Drivers with learner’s permits prohibited from using cell phones.
School bus operators prohibited from using cell phones while driving.
Pending legislation:
None.
Legislation notes:
Enforcement of the hands-free cell phone law began in summer 2004.
D.C. police reported writing about 8,300 tickets for cell phone use by drivers in 2006 and about 7,500 in 2005. In 2007, citations neared 10,000.
Police say the law covers text messaging while driving.
Delaware: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 30, 2008
Current prohibitions:
Drivers with learner’s permits prohibited from using cell phones.
School bus operators prohibited from using cell phones while driving.
Pending legislation:
None.
Legislation notes:
A House bill (HB78) seeking to require hands-free devices for drivers was defeated in May 2007. It also called for a state study on driver distractions in accidents.
“Why do we need this legislation?” said Rep. Dennis P. Williams, D-Wilmington, a retired lawman.
“What about a cup of coffee (being a distraction)? What about a CD player or a radio?”
Rep. Joseph E. Miro, R-Foxfire, was the sponsor. His proposal dates back to 2001.
Connecticut: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 30, 2008
Current prohibitions:
Adult drivers (18 and older) must use hands-free devices.
Minors are prohibited from using wireless phones while driving – with or without hands-free devices.
School bus operators prohibited from using cell phones while driving.
Use of video game players and DVD players banned for drivers.
Pending legislation:
None.
Legislation notes:
Enacted in October 2005 via HB 6722.
Arizona: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 30, 2008
Current prohibitions:
School bus operators may not use cell phones while driving.
In Phoenix, drivers prohibited from text messaging.
Pending legislation:
HB 2397: Would require all drivers to use hands-free devices with cell phones.
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/48leg/2r/bills/hb2397p.htm
HB 2396: Would ban drivers from texting via a cell phone or PDA.
HB 2398: Would prohibit drivers with learner’s permits from using cell phones
Legislation notes:
In 2007, a bill seeking to ban all cell phone use while driving failed to advance through the GOP-controlled Legislature. The sponsor was Rep. Tom Prezelski, D-Tucson. Also in 2007, Phoenix banned texting while driving.
Maine: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 30, 2008
Current prohibitions:
Drivers under the age of 18 prohibited from using cell phones while driving.
Drivers with learner’s permits or intermediate licenses prohibited from using cell phones while driving.
Pending legislation:
None.
Legislation notes:
A hands-free bill died in the state Senate in June 2007.
A study of cell phone-related accidents was mandated by the Legislature, to run through September 2008 with a report due by Jan. 15, 2009. That study was the result of legislation from Rep. Christopher Babbidge, D-Kennebunk, who also authored the state law regarding recycling of used cell phones.
Kentucky: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 30, 2008
Current prohibitions:
Drivers under the age of 18 with learner’s permits or intermediate licenses are prohibited from using cell phones or other wireless devices.
School bus operators prohibited from unofficial use of cell phones while transporting children.
Pending legislation:
HB 56: Would ban use of wireless communication devices by drivers not employing a hands-free device.
HB 125: Would prohibit all drivers with instruction permits from using a cell phone.
SB 116: Would prohibit text messaging by drivers.
Legislation notes:
Rep. Thomas J Burch introduced HB 56.
Iowa: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 30, 2008
Current prohibitions:
None.
Pending legislation:
HF 2224: Would ban cell phone use by all drivers.
HF 2059: Would ban cell phone use and text messaging by drivers with instruction permits or intermediate licenses.
SF 2104: Would ban text messaging by all drivers.
HB 2059 was sponsored by Rep. McKinley Bailey, D-Webster City, who says he was motivated by a fatal crash caused by a teenage driver who was using a cell phone. Bailey has said he might support an expansion to adult drivers.
Rep. Swati Dandekar, D-Marion, who chaired a subcommittee session on the Bailey proposal, has indicated interest in a text-messaging ban for adults and a hands-free law.
Previous cell phone legislation includes an attempt to mandate the assumption that a driver on a cell phone involved in an accident was at fault.
Attempts to regulate drivers’ cell phone use in Iowa date back to the late 1990s.
Idaho: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 30, 2008
Current prohibitions:
None.
Pending legislation:
None.
Legislation notes:
No bills regarding cell phone use were submitted for the 2008 legislative session.
Idaho Falls is considering an ordinance targeting drivers distracted by cell phones and text messaging.
The debate over the cell phone ordinance mirrors debates taking place all over the country.
Index: Cell phone laws, legislation by state
June 30, 2008
See what your state’s cell driving laws require — or are about to require. Almost all of the 50 states have restrictions on drivers’ use of cell phones, or are wrangling with various plans to limit their use.
Text messaging while driving also has come under fire, as law officers increasingly encounter accidents caused by young people who were busy texting.
View cell phone information by state:
Alabama - Alaska - Arizona - Arkansas - California - Colorado
Connecticut - Delaware - District of Columbia - Florida - Georgia - Hawaii
Idaho - Illinois - Indiana - Iowa - Kansas - Kentucky - Louisiana - Maine
Maryland - Massachusetts - Michigan - Minnesota - Mississippi - Missouri
Montana - Nebraska - Nevada - New Hampshire - New Jersey - New Mexico
New York - North Carolina - North Dakota - Ohio - Oklahoma - Oregon
Pennsylvania - Rhode Island - South Carolina - South Dakota
Tennessee - Texas - Utah - Vermont - Virginia - State of Washington
West Virginia - Wisconsin - Wyoming
Wyoming: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 28, 2008
Current prohibitions:
None
Pending legislation:
None.
Legislation notes:
Recent Comments