Pennsylvania drivers will no longer be able to text message as of early March. Gov. Tom Corbett signed off on legislation Nov. 9 that bans texting while behind the wheel. Fines will be $50. Enforcement is primary, which allows police to pull over drivers for that infraction alone. "No text message is worth a human life," Corbett said during the bill-signing event. "The message of this legislation is drive now and text later." (This content first posted on Nov. 1 and updated on Nov. 9.) Pennsylvania has become the 35th state to outlaw texting while behind the wheel. The state's long-running … [Read more...]
Hungry for clarity in distracted driving debate
October 16, 2011 by 2 Comments
Something's eating at me. You may have heard that Oak Park, Ill., is considering a ban on eating while driving. Yes, that and sipping on drinks and putting on makeup and ... texting and cell phone use. "This isn't government overreach; this is the government protecting people," said Oak Park village trustee Colette Lueck, who floated the idea in the middle of debate over texting and handheld cell phones. Actually, that would be government overreach. Lueck, apparently, is dead serious. And the media has lapped up the story about banning eating while driving. Critics of electronic … [Read more...]
TXT = OCD … or addiction?
October 10, 2011 by Leave a Comment
The national need to text and talk on handheld portable devices seems to be only growing stronger, as smartphones become as common as watches. Researchers now are talking about the handheld devices in terms of obsession and addiction -- with the potential for disaster when combined with motor vehicle operation. Brains of many cell-phone-using young adults react to ringing and vibrating smartphones as they would to the arrival of a loved one, a recent study in San Diego suggests. The same researcher reports that the sound of a vibrating cell phone ranked third among the most powerful and … [Read more...]
Australia, New Zealand distracted driving news
October 6, 2011 by Leave a Comment
In Victoria, mobile phone laws are being updated in order to "expand and clarify" the rules. The changes "reflect the significant increase of in-vehicle technologies and other technologies capable of distracting a driver," the government said. Hardware covered include mobile phones, wearable devices, mounted devices and motor-bike helmet displays. In general, drivers cannot perform data entry or scroll through screens. Drivers are prohibited from touching unmounted portable devices -- including mobile phones and tablets -- except when they are parked. The new rules go into effect March 30, … [Read more...]
3 new distracted driving laws
October 1, 2011 by 1 Comment
Motorists in Nevada, Maine and Maryland are now subject to new distracted driving regulations. Nevada's ban on text messaging and using handheld cell phones will driving officially went into effect Saturday, Oct. 1. Violators won't be punished for the next three months, though, as law officers are only issuing warnings until Jan. 1. Then it's on to fines that start at $50 and go to $250. In Maryland, legislators have completed their clean-up of the existing texting while driving law. As of Oct. 1, "reading" of text messages is illegal while driving in Maine. Previously, only the writing and … [Read more...]
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