Cell, text messaging update: State Rep. Ashley Hudson proposes new punishments for drivers who kill or seriously injury others while using wireless communications devices. The plan was approved by the House and Senate in March and moved on to the governor. Fine up to $2,500 and a possible year in prison. Arkansas has no restrictions on most cell phone calling by adult drivers, but it regulates their use by drivers under the age of 21. A law prohibiting use of handheld cell phones in school zones and highway work zones took effect Oct. 1, 2011. Current prohibitions: All drivers … [Read more...]
Archives for December 2008
Indiana: Cell phone laws, legislation
December 13, 2008 by 46 Comments
Cell phone, texting update: Violators of the 2020 hands-free driving law will now see demerit points vs. their licenses. The law barring drivers from using handheld communications devices took effect July 1, 2020, but the points went into effect a year later. State law officers issued more than 14,000 citations and warnings for electronic distracted driving as of early 2023. Fines up to $500 under the law generated by Rep. Holli Sullivan's HB 1070. Gov. Holcomb called for the hands-free law while announcing his agenda for the 2020 legislative session and repeated the message in the State … [Read more...]
Texting legislation hot at local level
December 11, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Cities and counties around the nation are scrambling to adopt bans on text messaging, tired of waiting for state legislatures to act on what is almost universally perceived as a highway menace. (Post updated for correction; original post from March 27, 2009) In one New York county, a local legislator said simply: "The state is not acting fast enough." New York’s swarm of local traffic legislation against text messaging and use of handheld phones usually is credited to a similar lack of urgency in Albany. A Philadelphia ban on use of handheld cell phones while driving is near enactment. A … [Read more...]
Oregon: Cell phone laws, legislation
December 11, 2008 by 28 Comments
Cell phone, texting news: A rewrite of Oregon's distracted driving law took effect Oct. 1, 2017. The law ushered in by House Bill 2597 updates the law's wording to include any use of "mobile electronic devices" such as smartphones. The law outlaws holding these devices while driving. The plan also upgraded first-time infractions from Class C to Class B ($260 first offense). State Police report a surge in ticketing in the first few months, with 516 total distracted driving citations in October, November and December compared with 279 for the same period the year before. House Bill 2597 … [Read more...]
Delaware: Cell phone laws, legislation
December 11, 2008 by 11 Comments
Distracted driving update: Delaware has doubled its fines for electronic distracted driving. As of Aug. 31, 2016, base fines increased from $50 to $100, with serial offenders paying as much as $300, up from $100 to $200. State Rep. Debra Hudson's legislation was OK'd by the House and Senate in June. Gov. Jack Markell signed the bill into law in late August. "Texting is every bit as dangerous as DUI," Hudson said. "Currently many drivers, particularly novice drivers, ignore the laws prohibiting texting and handheld-phone use while driving," Hudson's proposal said. Younger drivers seem "to … [Read more...]
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