Alaska's old and "ambiguous" texting & driving law is dead and buried. A state appeals court ruled this week that the 2008 law intended to ban text messaging while driving was poorly worded and ambiguous "at best." It established "the crime of driving with a screen device operating." In 2012, legislators amended the Alaska distracted driving law to specify that a violation occurs when a driver is "reading or typing a text message." While the issue would seem to be moot in Alaska, the legal activity reflects continuing problems nationwide with the wording of the first wave of … [Read more...]
Calif. teen-texting loophole closed
October 15, 2013 by 1 Comment
California teens are breaking the law if they text message while driving. Period. Gov. Jerry Brown has signed legislation closing a loophole that allowed drivers under 18 to use voice-activated technology to text while driving. The novice drivers aren't allowed to use communications devices such as smartphones, whether hand-held or hands-free. (Adults are permitted to use hands-free devices.) But a 2012 revision to California's distracted driving laws permits use of hands-free technology for texting, and that change applied to all drivers. The 2012 change to the driving laws followed … [Read more...]
Florida’s texting law already targeted
October 2, 2013 by 1 Comment
Florida's debate over distracted driving is far from over, even though the Sunshine State finally has a ban on texting while driving. The new text messaging law, which went into effect Oct. 1, isn't getting much respect from safety experts, survivors groups, the press and some lawmakers, many of whom cite the ban's secondary-enforcement status as weak and ineffectual. State Sen. Maria Sachs (pictured) used the bully pulpit of day 1 of the texting law to propose an upgrade to primary enforcement, which allows police to stop and cite violators for that reason alone. Secondary enforcement … [Read more...]
N.Y. signs off on ‘texting zones’
September 24, 2013 by Leave a Comment
New York is setting up "texting zones" on state thruways and highways, with rest stops, Park-n-Ride lots and the like doing double duty as safe harbors for text messaging. Sorry, no cyber cafes or blazing-fast wireless service. The initiative appears to boil down to 298 highway signs going up urging motorists to pull off the highway -- safely and in designated areas -- instead of engaging in distracted driving. "We are sending a clear message to drivers that there is no excuse to take your hands off the wheel and eyes off the road because your text can wait until the next texting zone," … [Read more...]
7 states get DOT texting grants
September 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Only seven out of 38 states who applied have received federal grants as rewards for their texting & driving laws. The Department of Transportation grants -- a potential $17.5 million -- were available to states with primary enforcement of their text messaging laws. Only seven and the territory of Guam succeeded in getting funding because of the wording used in their distracted driving laws. The big winners were Georgia and Minnesota. The total amount granted to fight distracted driving was $5.6 million. The successful states and their grant amounts: Georgia, $1.63 … [Read more...]
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