Motorists have been warned. Now they'll be fined. A trio of states saw their distracted driving laws take full effect with the new year, bringing new fines. Virginia, Arizona and Idaho had been issuing warnings under previously enacted hands-free laws. In Virginia, the law now prohibits the holding of wireless communications devices while driving. Although the ban went into effect in mid-summer, enforcement began with the new year. Officials say almost 20 percent of all crashes on Virginia's roads and highways can be linked to distraction. Almost 15 percent of fatalities had that … [Read more...]
Distraction deaths up 10%, NHTSA reports
December 22, 2020 by 1 Comment
Deaths from motor-vehicle crashes decreased slightly last year, but distraction-related fatalities were up 10 percent, federal analysts said. 2019 motor-vehicle crashes resulted in a 2 percent decrease in fatalities from 2018, according to final figures released in late December 2020 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The number of deaths linked to driver distraction was 3,142 nationwide, or almost 9 percent of all fatalities in 2019. This represents a 10 percent increase over the year 2018, or 284 more fatalities, the NHTSA reported. The distraction figure was the … [Read more...]
GM offers $20 ‘endless entertainment’
March 3, 2017 by Leave a Comment
Responding to the tremendous growth of vehicle-based Internet use, General Motors has added a $20 unlimited data plan to most of its vehicles. Owners of GM vehicles equipped with the OnStar 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot as of today have access to the $20-a-month prepaid plan. The move dramatizes the extent to which vehicles are being seen as living rooms on wheels. The automaker billed the hotspot service as providing "endless entertainment on the go." GM says Chevy owners gobbled up more than 4 million gigabytes of data last year. More than 3 million vehicles have access to the hotspot … [Read more...]
Quebec: Distracted driving news
August 24, 2016 by Leave a Comment
A Quebec man has been sentenced to four years in prison after he was convicted of killing a man and injuring two youngsters while texting & driving. Martin Carrieres exchanged 34 text messages immediately before the accident, police investigators found. The judge found "flagrant negligence" and said she wanted "to send a clear message to the public" about distracted driving. The crash occurred in March 2012. Quebec's new distracted driving penalties went into effect June 30, 2018. First-time fines for holding a portable communications device run $300 to $600, doubling for subsequent … [Read more...]
New distracted driving laws in Miss., N.H.
July 1, 2015 by 1 Comment
Texting while driving is now illegal in Mississippi, while New Hampshire motorists will have to have to put down their wireless devices or face a ticket. Mississippi is a latecomer to the texting & driving issue, being the 45th state to ban the distracted driving practice. Gov. Phil Bryant approved the law in mid-March. Mississippi drivers caught texting while behind the wheel are subject to fines beginning at $25, but they go up to $100 in summer 2016. The originating legislation -- House Bill 389 — also outlaws social media use by drivers, but does not address cell phone use. In an … [Read more...]
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