Illinois Rep. John D’Amico predicted early in the legislative season that distracted-driving legislation would get "a lot of traction" this year. He was right. D'Amico's HB 71 and HB 72 have been approved by the House and Senate, with the Senate's vote coming May 19. Both bills were given final approval in the House on May 28 and sent to Gov. Pat Quinn. Illinois House Bill 71 seeks to ban text messaging while driving. In an unusual provision, texting would be permitted if the vehicle is stopped in traffic. The earlier approval by the Illinois House came on on April 1. The votes were 89-27 in … [Read more...]
Tennessee outlaws texting while driving
May 15, 2009 by Leave a Comment
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen has signed into law a ban on text messaging while driving, as expected. Enforcement will begin July 1. The Tennessee ban on text messaging while driving comes with a $50 fine for violators and $10 court costs. It is a non-moving offense, meaning no points are added to the driver’s license and there are no insurance problems. Enforcement is expected to come into play when drivers commit other violations or get into accidents, law enforcement agencies indicated after the May 13 signing. The Senate bill went through a lot of push-and-pull before crossing the desk … [Read more...]
Maryland bans text messaging by drivers
April 13, 2009 by 3 Comments
Maryland's governor has signed the text-messaging legislation forwarded to him by the state Senate. It takes effect Oct. 1, 2009. (This story originally filed March 2009.) Maryland's ban on texting by all drivers does not include the act of reading messages, thanks to an amendment tacked on by the House. This is intended to make enforcement easier, since police in theory won't pull over drivers who are just reading phone numbers. Read about the 2010 legislation to close the loophole. Gov. Martin O'Malley signed the Maryland texting ban on April 7, 2009. The governor had indicated he'd sign … [Read more...]
Virginia outlaws texting for drivers
March 31, 2009 by 1 Comment
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine has signed into law a ban on text messaging for all drivers. It takes effect July 1. AAA spokesman John Townsend said the secondary-enforcement status of the new Virginia texting law -- meaning police would have to have another, primary reason for pulling over drivers -- makes it “tantamount to telling people you can do it.” Still, the AAA spokesman told the Washington Examiner that approval of HB 1876 was a “moral victory.” Meanwhile, Kansas has approved its first restrictions on cell phone use behind the wheel: Drivers with permit licenses cannot use cell phones … [Read more...]
Utah bans text messaging
March 27, 2009 by Leave a Comment
The first text messaging law of the legislative season comes from Utah, whose governor signed HB 290 on March 25. The Utah ban on texting while driving goes into effect July 1. Meanwhile, Gov. Timothy Kaine signed Virginia's text messaging legislation into law on March 30. Utah and Virginia will be the eighth and ninth states with laws that restrict text messaging while driving. California joined the club Jan. 1. Mississippi's Legislature OK'd a ban on text messaging by young motorists this week. It has been sent to Gov. Haley Barbour. Under the legislation signed by Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman … [Read more...]
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