Legislators in New Jersey and Maryland have moved to significantly toughen their state's electronic distracted driving laws. In New Jersey, what appears to be "the toughest hands-free cell phone law in the nation" is closer to enactment as the Legislature sent a distracted driving measure to Gov. Chris Christie. In Maine, a bill that gives primary enforcement status to the current wireless communications law has advanced from the House to the Senate. The bill also hikes fines for texting & talking on handheld cell phones while driving to as much as $500. First-time distracted driving … [Read more...]
Michigan enacts teen cell phone law
January 9, 2013 by 2 Comments
A ban on cell phone use by teen drivers has been signed into law by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. The toll from distracted driving "strikes at all our hearts," the governor said. "This is an important chance to step up, particularly for young drivers," he said at the public signing ceremony for "Kelsey's Law" on Jan. 8. The ban on cell phone use by teens in Michigan goes into effect in late March. It affects drivers with a restricted (level 1 or 2 graduated) license. State Sen. Howard Walker's legislation was named for Kelsey Rafaelle (pictured), a Sault Ste. Marie teenager killed in … [Read more...]
Alaska texting law gets a rewrite
January 5, 2012 by 1 Comment
A pair of state representatives have submitted to the Legislature a new version of Alaska's text messaging law to ensure its intent is clear to the courts. Reps. Les Gara and Bill Thomas on Jan. 6 filed the bipartisan legislation House Bill 255, which would remove any doubt that texting and driving is illegal in Alaska. The ambiguous wording of Alaska's 2008 prohibition on texting & driving came back to haunt legislators when a magistrate in tiny Kenai ruled that the state needed to be more precise with the distracted driving law. The magistrate noted correctly that its wording never … [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...]
When legislators attack (texting bills)
April 27, 2010 by Leave a Comment
Two lawmakers have dug in their heels on texting while driving legislation, effectively killing texting bills in Florida and Alabama. In Florida, the chairwoman of the House Finance and Tax Council says the primary bill that would ban texting and driving is "intellectually dishonest." She refuses to allow a vote on its merits. Rep. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, says HB 41 is "not stalled. It's dead." (HB 41 is the companion to SB 448, which is moving ahead in the Senate.) Bogdanoff's beef seems to be that the bill ban behaviors that she says are already covered under state careless … [Read more...]
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