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 connection, state figures show. Distraction was blamed for at least 120 fatalities in the state last year.
Violating Virginia’s handheld cell phone law will bring fines of $125 (first offense) and then $250. Offenses in highway work zones also bring a $250 fine.
Virginia lawmakers approved the distracted driving bill in late February with clear majorities. The ban was signed into law by Gov. Ralph Northam in March and then again “virtually” in a ceremony July 8. Northam noted the law includes “several provisions to help ensure it is enforced fairly and does not result in disparate enforcement against people of color.”
Virginia first outlawed texting & driving in 2007, but lawmakers struggled to adopt a hands-free ban until 2020.
In Arizona, as of Jan. 1, it became a punishable offense to talk or text on a cell phone while driving unless the device is hands-free. This means motorists cannot hold or support portable communications devices with their bodies. A limited amount of touching is allowed in order to engage or disengage a function on the device.
Fines for violation of Arizona’s distracted driving law are $75 to $149 (first offense), then $150 to $250.
Gov. Doug Ducey’s signed the law back in April 2019. The Arizona Department of Public Safety said it had stopped and warned more than 15,000 drivers during the runup to the new law. Fines began Jan. 1.
Arizona politicians long had been resistant to distracted driving laws, a dynamic that changed almost overnight with the 2019 death of a Salt River police officer who was struck and killed by a texting driver. “Too many lives have been lost because of texting and driving,” Ducey said as he signed the bill. He gave credit to the officer’s mother for helping push through the legislation.
Arizona’s first statewide texting & driving law went into effect July 1, 2018, but it only affected drivers in the first six months of licensing. The state was one of a few without a texting law.
Arizona allows for use of a cell phone at a red light, a loophole decried by many safety advocates.
In Idaho, the new year brings new penalties for drivers who violate the handheld cell phone ban that went into effect July 1. State Police said they handed out about 700 warnings in the six-month period before the law took full effect.
Distracted drivers now face fines of $75 for a first offense, plus court fees. A second conviction brings a $150 fine, and then $300 fines with a possible license suspension. Multiple offenses also bring notices to auto-insurance companies, resulting in higher premiums.
“There is nothing on your screen that is worth your life or the life of another,” Idaho State Police Lt. Chris Weadick said as the law took full effect. The goal is to change driving behavior and save lives.”
“Remember lives are lost to this needless carnage on our roads and our highways,” sponsor Sen. Chuck Winder told lawmakers before the vote on his original bill.
One-touch operation of a wireless communications device is permitted, including GPS activation. Use at stop lights is prohibited. There are exemptions for certain farm and ranch activities.
Looking ahead, in California, serial violators of the handheld cell phone ban will receive a point vs. the driver’s license as of July 1, 2021.
