Cell phone, text messaging news: A new distracted driving law took effect Nov. 1, 2025. Fine of up to $100. The 2025 that prohibits handheld cell phone use in active school and construction zones cleared the House and Senate during the 2025 legislative session. A governor's veto was overridden in late May. Oklahoma does not have a hands-free law applying to all drivers. State Rep. Nicole Miller says her HB 2263 "is a practical step toward safer roads. It allows drivers to continue using hands-free tech while ensuring their focus stays on driving, especially in critical areas where workers … [Read more...]
Archives for 2008
New Jersey: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 24, 2008 by 10 Comments
Distracted driving update: Driver inattention continues to be a leading killer on New Jersey roads and highways. Numbers for 2021, released at the beginning of 2023, showed distracted driving was linked to 194 fatalities in the state. Distracted driving has been the No. 1 cause of roadway deaths for almost a decade, State Police reported, but in 2021 it was replaced in the top slot by driving under the influence. A New Jersey woman has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of vehicular homicide in a closely watched texting & driving case. Alexandra Mansonet, 50, … [Read more...]
Minnesota: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 24, 2008 by 17 Comments
Distracted driving updates: Just under 21,000 drivers were ticketed in the first year under Minnesota's hands-free law. Officials say distracted driving's role in roadway fatalities was reduced significantly in the period, from about 10 percent to 6 percent of total fatalities. Distracted motorists between the ages of 21 and 40 received almost 60 percent of the hands-free citations. Fines range from $50 to $275, before fees. Officials blame distracted driving for one out of four vehicle crashes in Minnesota. Minnesota's new hands-free law went into effect Aug. 1, 2019. Gov. Tim Walz had … [Read more...]
Montana: Cell phone laws, legislation
June 24, 2008 by 11 Comments
Distracted driving update: The Senate gave solid approval to a hands-free bill in early March 2025, sending it on the House. The measure from state Sen. Sara Novak would establish fines of up to $250 for handheld cell phone use and texting. At least 14 Montana cities have adopted laws against electronic distracted driving. They include Missoula, Bozeman, Billings, Helena, Libby, Whitefish, Butte-Silver Bow, Hamilton, Great Falls, Baker and Columbia Falls. Countywide bans are in effect in Butte-Silver Bow and Anaconda-Deer Lodge. Montana is the only state without some kind of texting & … [Read more...]
Hands-free tech: the basics
June 15, 2008 by Leave a Comment
Yes, you'll look like an extra on "Star Trek." No, people will not think you're hip or cutting-edge. In fact, you just may be mistaken for a crazy person. The Bluetooth era has begun in earnest, as California's car culture is forced into buying hands-free devices in order to continue using cellular phones in their vehicles. The California cell phone laws went into effect July 1, 2008. State after state, we'll see drivers confronting the same prohibitions on yakking while motoring. There are, of course, lower-priced options to Bluetooth's 100 percent wireless technology, such as … [Read more...]
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