Nebraska: Cell phone laws, legislation

Distracted driving update: First-term Gov. Jim Pillen said, “I think we do have a problem” with cell phone use by drivers. "I think we have to have some serious conversations," he said in August 2023. Nebraska bans texting while driving, but limits police to secondary enforcement, meaning another reason is needed to make a traffic stop. Nineteen fatalities linked to distracted drivers in Nebraska during 2019, with almost 1,500 injuries. In 2017, at least 228 traffic fatalities were logged overall, compared with 217 the previous year. Safety officials cited distracted driving as a … [Read more...]

South Dakota: Cell phone laws, legislation

Distracted driving news: A new electronic distracted driving law took effect July 1, 2020. The new law bars many uses of electronic devices while driving, but allows for some phone-related activity and limited GPS use. It classifies offenses as a Class 2 misdemeanors, which come with fines as high as $500 and possible jail time. Primary enforcement. The governor signed off on state Rep. Doug Barthel's distracted driving measure in late March. The previous texting & driving law registers was a petty offense and limited to secondary enforcement. Gov. Kristi Noem did not take a position on the … [Read more...]