Traffic deaths continue to fall, with the nation logging seven straight quarterly declines, federal officials said. Yet about 41,000 people died on U.S. roadways in 2023, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported April 1. The report came as the NHTSA started a new push for awareness of the dangers of distracted driving. The rebranded "Put the Phone Away or Pay" campaign targets drivers aged 18 to 34, who are more likely to die in distraction-related crashes than any other age group. NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said distracted driving continued to be a … [Read more...]
In Georgia, handheld cell phone ban beats the clock
March 30, 2018 by 3 Comments
Georgia's seven-month march to a handheld cell phone ban ended in victory in the final hour of the 2018 legislative session. Gov. Nathan Deal signed the measure into law May 2, accompanied by relatives of the five nursing students who died in a horrific roadway crash. The new Georgia distracted driving law means motorists must use hands-free devices or voice-activated technology in order to talk on their phones. Fines were whittled down during legislative debate. Under changes made by the Senate to House Bill 673 (and approved by the House), first-time offenders will be fined $50 and … [Read more...]
‘Red’ lights for 7 states in texting laws survey
January 22, 2018 by 2 Comments
Seven states received negative ratings from an annual roadway safety report due to their lax texting & laws. The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety study fingered Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota for their lack of effective texting laws. Arizona, Missouri and Montana do not have universal texting & driving bans. Florida, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota have texting laws, but enforcement is hindered by the secondary enforcement status. Ohio avoided the group's "red" for "danger" signifier by having a cell phone restriction for novice drivers. … [Read more...]
Group sees ‘red’ over texting laws
February 1, 2017 by 2 Comments
Citing an "alarming two-year jump in motor vehicle crash deaths" and a falloff in traffic-safety lawmaking, the group Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety released its annual report card. The survey of highway safety laws gigs nine states for having ineffective distracted driving laws. Eight of those receive overall "red" ratings for anemic safety laws. Flagged for not having all-driver texting & driving laws are Arizona, Missouri, Montana and Texas. Criticized for anemic secondary-enforcement texting laws are Florida, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota. Looking solely at … [Read more...]
Oklahoma’s texting law getting results
October 29, 2016 by Leave a Comment
Oklahoma's 1-year-old ban on texting while driving has paid off, an analysis by the state Highway Safety Office suggests. At the anniversary of the state's texting & driving law, statistics show reductions in distraction-related events across the board: in total crashes linked to distractions, injury and non-injury crashes, and in fatalities. The Oklahoma texting law went into effect Nov. 1, 2015. (Oklahoma at the time was one of the few remaining states without a ban on text messaging by all drivers.) Studies of the effectiveness of handheld device laws have produced mixed results … [Read more...]
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