Cell phone use while driving has become the No. 1 safety problem on California roads and highways, a new survey of state motorists says. Close behind came texting while driving. Combined, cell phoning and text messaging drew almost 40 percent of the responses. Both problems individually outweighed last year's main concern, "speeding and aggressive driving," according to the second-annual survey by the California Office of Traffic Safety. Texting soared in mentions as the biggest danger, going from last year's 2 percent to 18 percent. When asked to name the most serious distraction for … [Read more...]
N.Y. texting law no turkey
December 2, 2011 by 1 Comment
Gov. Andrew Cuomo's state police feasted on text-messaging violations over the Thanksgiving holiday, handing out 816 tickets. "The more than 800 tickets issued in just five days further demonstrates the need for these stricter laws which focus on drivers who put others at risk by illegally using a hand-held device," the New York governor said after the ticket tally. The statewide distracted driving sweep "Operation Hang-Up" ran Nov. 23-27. State Police said about 330 of the texting tickets came as a result of that crackdown. The other ticketing came via regular enforcement of the state's … [Read more...]
Court: Cell phone law covers stops
November 16, 2011 by Leave a Comment
California's law against use of handheld cell phones while driving applies when vehicles are stopped at traffic lights, an appeals court has ruled. While the Legislature didn't specifically address use of handheld electronics at stop lights, the First District Court of Appeal ruled Nov. 14 that the statute writers' intent was to include vehicles on public roadways that are paused momentarily to obey traffic laws. The judges cited "significant and numerous public safety hazards that likely would result" if they agreed with the defendant's claim that the distracted driving laws did not apply … [Read more...]
Pennsylvania texting law breakdown
November 9, 2011 by 9 Comments
Specifics of the ban on text messaging that was approved by Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett on Nov. 9, 2011: Prohibits as a primary offense all drivers from using an Interactive Wireless Communication Device (IWCD) to send, read or write a text-based message. Defines an IWCD as a wireless phone, personal digital assistant, smart phone, portable or mobile computer or similar devices that can be used for texting, instant messaging, emailing or browsing the Internet. Defines a text-based message as a text message, instant message, email or other written communication composed or received on an … [Read more...]
Despite the danger, we’re still talking
November 4, 2011 by 1 Comment
U.S. drivers recognize talking & texting as dangerous activities, but many continue to drive distracted anyway -- even in high-risk traffic situations. Nothing new there, but several recent surveys shed more light on the problem. Results of five recent surveys regarding cell phone and texting use are consistent with attitudinal studies conducted over the past 10 years. The latest numbers strongly suggest that widespread distracted driving educational efforts still have a lot of work left to do. A Roper poll of U.S. adults shows, in fact, that the higher the overall education level, the more … [Read more...]
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