Distracted driving news: State Rep. Hans Hunt's plan to imprison drivers who kill while distracted by texting has been soundly rejected by the House. The 2018 measure would have provided for aggravated-homicide prosecution if a driver is texting while causing a fatality. The mid-February vote was 19-40. The city of Powell's ban on handheld cell phone use while driving went into effect in January 2018. Six months into enforcement, no tickets had been written, although police said "a lot of warnings" were handed out. The Powell Tribune said 24 warnings had been recorded by midyear. The local … [Read more...]
Cell phone safety: Bet you didn’t know …
January 1, 2009 by 4 Comments
Cell phone safety would seem largely a matter of common sense. Pay attention, watch the road and you’ll arrive safely. But researchers who have been studying cell phone-related accidents since the 1990s say there are some surprising ways in which wireless phones endanger drivers, passengers and pedestrians. For example, the simple act of talking on a cell phone actually decreases the quality of visual information received and processed by the brain. Talk more and you see less! State legislators are increasingly mandating hands-free cell phone use for drivers. Hands-free devices such as … [Read more...]
Idaho: Cell phone laws, legislation
December 30, 2008 by 14 Comments
Distracted driving news: A handheld cell phone ban took full effect Jan. 1, 2021. Primary enforcement. Fines are $75 for a first offense, then $150, then $300. The final bill (HB 614) signed by Gov. Brad Little was the same as one passed earlier by the Senate, but with a consideration for agriculture functions. "Remember lives are lost to this needless carnage on our roads and our highways," sponsor Sen. Chuck Winder told lawmakers before the vote on his original bill. The so-called "100 Deadliest Days" proved a bit less lethal in Idaho in 2020. 78 people died in crashes on Idaho's roads … [Read more...]
Nevada: Cell phone laws, legislation
December 22, 2008 by 57 Comments
Cell, texting news: Assemblywoman Michelle Gorelow proposed a modification of the distracted driving laws permitting police to search a driver's cell phone to determine if it contributed to a crash. Allows for police use of a "investigative technology device" such as a textalyzer. Gorelow retreated in early March 2019 on a provision that if a driver refused to hand over the mobile phone, automatic license suspension goes into effect. The legislation was ignored, regardless. The next session begins Feb. 1, 2021. While the Highway Patrol notes that the state's distracted driving law is … [Read more...]
Utah: Cell phone & texting laws, legislation
December 17, 2008 by 7 Comments
Cell phone/texting news: State Rep. Carol Spackman Moss says she's leaning toward making a fifth attempt at a handheld cell phone law in 2023. Moss isn't sure she can prevail over the "personal freedom" GOP lawmakers, but she cites "a crisis" on the roadways. Her HB 160 of 2021 suffered a quick defeat. In 2020, her plan passed both houses but died awaiting a final vote. "I think I owe it to (survivor families) to keep trying," she has said. Moss says opponents have "lots of excuses" for not passing a distracted driving bill. Meanwhile, state roadway fatalities are at a two-decade high … [Read more...]
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