Distracted driving news: A new law establishes primary enforcement for text messaging and driving in Virginia, allowing police to stop and cite motorists for that offense alone. The law takes effect July 1, 2013. Fines still will be significantly increased, from the current $20 to $125 (first offense) and from the current $50 to $250 for subsequent offenses. There also will be a $250 minimum fine for reckless drivers who are texting at the time of the offense. The twin bills that toughened enforcement of the Virginia texting & driving law were approved during the 2013 legislative session by the governor and General Assembly. The legislation's increased fines were too high for Gov. … [Read more...]
Wyoming: Cell phone & texting laws, bills
January 5, 2009 by 2 Comments
Distracted driving update: State Sen. Floyd Esquibel saw his texting & driving ban become law in 2010, but his 2013 plan to expand the distracted driving law to include handheld cell phones received a quick rejection. Esquibel, D-Cheyenne, saw his SF 93 go down in defeat in the Senate Transportation Committee on Jan. 21, 2013. He vowed to return with the legislation next session, as he has in past years. (It would have allowed use of cell phones with hands-free attachments.) The Senate panel delayed a vote on a proposed ban on handheld cell phone use by school bus drivers. It includes fines of $750 -- 10 times the existing text messaging penalty -- as well as a possible month in jail. … [Read more...]
Cell phone safety: Bet you didn’t know …
January 1, 2009 by 4 Comments
Cell phone safety would seem largely a matter of common sense. Pay attention, watch the road and you’ll arrive safely. But researchers who have been studying cell phone-related accidents since the 1990s say there are some surprising ways in which wireless phones endanger drivers, passengers and pedestrians. For example, the simple act of talking on a cell phone actually decreases the quality of visual information received and processed by the brain. Talk more and you see less! State legislators are increasingly mandating hands-free cell phone use for drivers. Hands-free devices such as Bluetooth headphones can prevent accidents and save lives, but motorists need to be aware of how these … [Read more...]
Idaho: Cell phone laws, legislation
December 30, 2008 by 12 Comments
Distracted driving news: A measure that would bar teen drivers with six-month instruction permits from using cell phones is advancing in the House. The bill, requested by AAA Oregon/Idaho, cleared the the House Transportation Committee in a tight 9-7 vote taken Feb. 27. Chairman Joe Palmer voted against the plan, saying adults supervising the novice drivers should not be able to use cell phones, either: "They are in a teaching mode -- they shouldn't be allowed to talk on the phone." House Bill 155 was returned to the committee for rewording, and then goes to the House floor. Texting while driving is no longer permitted in Idaho. Enforcement began July 1, 2012, in time for the holiday … [Read more...]
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