Distracted drivers in Louisiana will see significantly higher penalties for texting or social media use while behind the wheel.
Gov. John Bel Edwards on June 13 signed into law legislation that establishes $500 fines for first-time offenders of the state texting law, a penalty that will double for serial offenders. Minors will pay higher fines as well.
Louisiana’s new distracted driving penalties go into effect immediately.
Senate Bill 91 (Act 472) comes from state Sen. Yvonne Colomb. The full Senate approved the bill in mid-April and the House followed at the end of May.
Louisiana bars drivers from texting and from using social media. It does not restrict the use of cell phones, handheld or otherwise, for adult drivers outside of school zones. For the first half of 2016, almost a thousand crashes in the state were linked to cell phone use, LSU has just reported.
The new law:
- Establishes a $500 fine for initial violations of the existing distracted driving law. Subsequent violations bring fines of not more than $1,000.
- Sets fines at $250 and then $500 for minor drivers, with a 60-day license suspension for serial offenders.
- Hikes fines for violations in school zones to $500 (first offense), with fines of $1,000 and a 60-day license suspension for serial offenders.
The previous fine for first offenders was $175 with $500 for repeat violators. The license suspensions are new.
> Read more about Louisiana distracted driving laws.
I can understand the law but every delivery driver is going to have more issues now.
Dialing, and hand held phone navigation can be just as bad as texting. It’s all distracted driving
True.
I drive the hwy to work everyday and so many are not even looking up at the hwy and veering over into the other lane. I saw 4 rear ended wrecks within 2 miles one afternoon. All involved at least 3 or more cars each. Put that phone down and save lives!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes you are so right. One day I was looking at every car and they all were looking down
How you paying attention if you’re looking at every driver? Distracted driving is distracted driving.
Great! I mean, we didn’t ever even have car accidents before mobile phones became a thing!
What planet are YOU from?
Tinted windows need to be enforced. Who can see whose texting with dark dark windows. This law is NEVER enforced in Lafayette. No handicap parking laws enforced either.
In Louisiana, the handicap spots are on private store lots usually. The store has to call the police for a ticket to be issued, same for fire lanes.
The State Fire Marshals can and will write tickets for parking in fire lanes.
I pay the $200 window tiny ticket every so often. I refuse and will gladly pay my window tint fines every time.
Illegal to drive in the left lane unless you are passing. NO ENFORCEMENT equals no improvement!
This is great if it is enforced. But the thing that needs to happen is to get police officers to put their phones away while driving. They shouldn’t be able to stop and fine me for something they themselves are doing repeatedly.
1st responders & emergency workers are actually exempt. Like or not.
They also use their computers while driving.
Amen and their computer.
It’s about time … The phone isn’t driving a car a careless, irresponsible, and selfish person is driving and not paying attention to the road. I don’t think people should be able to talk on phone while driving — either way it will be a disaster for the one not on the phone driving just paying attention and bang the distracted driver kills the innocent driver’s family in a minute. Now what????
How is talking hands free any different than speaking with someone in the car? I’m more likely to turn and look at the person I’m speaking with if they are in the car. I agree we shouldn’t have our hands on our phones looking at stuff, but I see no problem with hands-free talking.
Safety experts say, on balance, it is a plus to have another person in the vehicle looking out on the road. Factoring in that the conversation is the main distraction, not the device.
Now enforce the law! Quit letting second and third DWI drivers out of jail. The law is mandatory jail time. Enforce it!!!
AMEN!!!!! This should take more of a priority than cell phones!! Hell let’s ban alcohol and make pot legal!!
That’s not the police that’s the judges letting them go
Texting and driving not good! But y’all need to blame the car manufacturing companies and the phone companies. Either the the car should stop running or the cell phone stop working for 10 minutes. Now that would save lives!
Just like we should blame guns for killing people and not the person pulling the trigger! Wake up!!! It’s not the phone or the car’s fault that people are too stupid to put the toys away while they are supposed to be driving!
Exactly … personal accountability
We need to start excepting accountability for our own actions and stop placing blame on everyone but ourselves !!!! People choose to use their cell phones and drive and cause accidents not the cell phones in the cars it’s the people! Just like people kill people not guns !!