A ban on cell phone use by teen drivers has been signed into law by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. The toll from distracted driving "strikes at all our hearts," the governor said. "This is an important chance to step up, particularly for young drivers," he said at the public signing ceremony for "Kelsey's Law" on Jan. 8. The ban on cell phone use by teens in Michigan goes into effect in late March. It affects drivers with a restricted (level 1 or 2 graduated) license. State Sen. Howard Walker's legislation was named for Kelsey Rafaelle (pictured), a Sault Ste. Marie teenager killed in early 2010 while driving and talking on her cell phone. "We must do all we can to prevent similar tragedies … [Read more...]
NTSB seeks total cell phone ban
December 13, 2011 by 5 Comments
Horrified by the findings of its probe of a fatal text messaging crash, the NTSB has come out in favor of a nationwide ban on the use of portable handheld electronic devices by drivers. "It is time for all of us to stand up for safety by turning off electronic devices when driving," NTSB chairman Deborah Hersman said at a Dec. 13 hearing on the 2010 multi-vehicle wreck. "How many more lives will be lost before we, as a society, change our attitudes about the deadliness of distractions?" Electronic distracted driving "is becoming the new DUI," board member Robert Sumwalt said. "It's becoming epidemic." States would have to sign off on the NTSB plan for it to take effect, far from a given. … [Read more...]
3 new distracted driving laws
October 1, 2011 by 1 Comment
Motorists in Nevada, Maine and Maryland are now subject to new distracted driving regulations. Nevada's ban on text messaging and using handheld cell phones will driving officially went into effect Saturday, Oct. 1. Violators won't be punished for the next three months, though, as law officers are only issuing warnings until Jan. 1. Then it's on to fines that start at $50 and go to $250. In Maryland, legislators have completed their clean-up of the existing texting while driving law. As of Oct. 1, "reading" of text messages is illegal while driving in Maine. Previously, only the writing and sending of text messages (and email) were illegal. Also, the earlier state law allowed for texting … [Read more...]
Florida: Cell phone laws, legislation
December 3, 2008 by 64 Comments
Distracted driving report: A plan to ban text messaging while driving in Florida has been approved by the House and Senate, and sent to the governor for his approval. After a few days of drama, the May 2 Senate vote was nearly unanimous in favor of the texting & driving bill. The measure cleared the House with a 110-6 vote the day before. SB 52 calls for fines of $30 plus costs -- as well as points for subsequent offenses, causing a crash and for texting in school zones. Interviewed Monday, Gov. Rick Scott dodged the direct question of whether he would sign the texting bill: "Well as a parent, and now a grandparent, you worry about people texting and driving," Scott told a Fox … [Read more...]
Recent Comments