International distracted driving roundup

Distracted driving news from around the globe. (Does not include the EU member states or Canada.) View the European distracted driving news page and the Australia & New Zealand cell phone laws roundup.

In Jamaica, texting and using cell phones while driving should be illegal by the end of the year, the island nation’s transportation minister predicts. The regulations had been expected as early as a year ago. “We intend to launch pre-emptive strikes against those who are intent on creating imbalances in the traffic environment,” Omar Davies told members of the International Road Federation on May 9. “Our commitment to Road Safety is clear and unambiguous.”

India is moving toward a ban on mobile phone use while driving. The Union Cabinet (of ministers) on March 1, 2012, approved a package of safety-related changes to the Motor Vehicle Act that includes the distracted driving plan. Fines would be RS 500 (first offense, about $10 US) and then up to RS 5,000. The legislation moves to the Parliament.

The U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan, mostly) is considering legislation that would outlaw texting and the use of handheld cell phones while driving. The House Judiciary Committee recommended approval of House Bill 17-143 on Feb. 7, 2012. Rep. Stanley Torres, Ind-Saipan, is the sponsor. The measure also would ban all cell phone use by teen drivers. Fines: $50, then $100.

Also in the western Pacific, Guam has banned handheld cell phone use by drivers. The island already prohibited texting & driving. Sen. Tom Ada filed the Guam distracted driving legislation Dec. 14, 2011, and it was voted in unanimously Feb. 17. The acting governor signed the plan into law March 1. Fines $100 (first offense), $500 (subsequent) and $1,000/possible license loss if an accident results from the distraction. Commercial vehicles have a temporary 30-day exemption from the law. (Guam, a U.S. territory, decided to mirror the recent federal regulations regarding some commercial vehicles.)

Taking action against “a dreadful phenomenon,” Bermuda has outlawed use of handheld cell phones and other wireless communications devices while driving. Videos also are prohibited from viewing TV/DVD screens. Police said they wrote more than 100 tickets under the new law in its first month. Fines range from $500 to $1,000. MPs unanimously approved the measure Dec. 2, 2011. The government issued a detailed explanation of the new distracted driving law Jan. 12. The regulations are part of the Traffic Offences (Penalties) Amendment Act 2011. Bermuda is a British territory located about 650 miles off North Carolina. The United Kingdom banned handheld cell phone use while driving in 2003.

Cayman Islands lawmakers approved a new traffic law Nov. 20, 2011. The legislation includes a ban on handheld cell phone use while driving. The law requires hands-free devices to operate with only one button, a rule that apparently targets text messaging. Drivers are permitted to use their handheld cell phones if stopped in a traffic jam or at stop lights. The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service has been pushing for a ban on handheld cell phones, although they’d prefer a total ban. The ban was removed from the Traffic Bill earlier in 2011 but was revised for the final vote. Police currently use careless-driving laws against drivers whose cell phone use is endangering others.

The Emirate of Abu Dhabi struggles with one of the highest rates of road fatalities in the world. Police reported that a recent three-day outage of Blackberry messaging service coincided with a 40 percent drop in traffic accidents. “Absolutely nothing has happened in the past week in terms of killings on the road,” the police chief said. “People are slowly starting to realize the dangers of using their phone while driving. The roads became much safer when BlackBerry stopped working.”

The Philippines’ Department of Justice has ruled that distracted driving can be considered a violation of law, punishable for that infraction alone, or for the damages done to others. The DOJ said May 30, 2011, that distracted driving occurs while “operating a motor vehicle inattentively on account of various activities not related to driving.” Local laws against “texting or calling while driving” already are in effect in Sagada and Roxas City.

India already bans the use of handheld cell phones while driving, with penalties running INR 2,000 (about $40). Now, the government reportedly is debating a plan to prohibit drivers from using hands-free cell phones and Bluetooth gadgets such as wireless headsets.

The Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) will consider bans on text messaging and handheld cell phone use by drivers. Rep. Stanley Torres, Ind-Saipan, introduced HB 17-143, the “Commonwealth Wireless Telephone Restrictions in Vehicles Safety Act of 2011,” on Jan. 13. Fines: $50 (first violation) then $100. Penalties double for taxi and bus drivers.

Trinidad and Tobago’s ban on handheld cell phones went into effect Feb. 2, 2011. The Motor Vehicles Amendment Bill was approved by Cabinet in October 2010 and then by the Parliament. Enactment was delayed a month and fines apparently have been lowered. Fines are now set at $1,500 TTD (about $235 U.S.), according to transportation minister Jack Warner, who urged motorists to use the extra time to get used to not using handheld cell phones.

Jamaica’s road safety director expects a ban on drivers’ use of cell phones by August 2011. The law would include other devices, such as portable DVD players. The Ministry of Transport and Works proposed the new distracted driving rules at the end of 2010.

“We have no doubt that any legislation banning the use of cellphones while driving will attract a lot of resistance in Jamaica,” the Observer editorialized Jan. 27, 2011

Bermuda has a twist on the usual distracted driving issues. Shadow Transport Minister Michael Fahy explains: “The phenomenon of the use of cell phones on bikes seems to be almost unique to Bermuda, where we constantly see people texting whilst driving their bikes, or a phone shoved in a helmet. It is only a matter of time before serious injury or death results from this poor driving habit.”