Longtime automotive capital Michigan has finally put its pedal foot down on distracted driving, by enacting a hands-free law. It goes into effect June 30. Alabama, meanwhile, checked in with a hands-free prohibition that comes capped with secondary enforcement. And Missouri, another longtime safety laggard, enacted a hands-free law, also with secondary enforcement. "We need to remove distractions and make our roads safer for everyone who’s using them," Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer said at the bill signing for the distracted driving package. "Each traffic death is more than just a … [Read more...]
Busy summer for new distracted driving laws
July 1, 2019 by Leave a Comment
A busy legislative season yielded a handful of new distracted driving laws that went into effect July 1. Florida, Tennessee, Illinois and Virginia all saw new laws go into action at year's midpoint. And Minnesota follows a month later. While some distracted driving measures remain in play, most lawmakers have gone home for the year, setting up another round of debates in 2020 over handheld cell phone use, texting & driving, enforcement, "personal freedoms" and the threat of racial profiling. Almost all states have texting & driving bans, but a minority have clamped down on cell phone … [Read more...]
Minnesota hands free via new cell phone law
April 12, 2019 by 1 Comment
Minnesota has become the 17th state to ban the use of handheld cell phones. The state's hands-free law -- considered one of the legislative session's top achievements -- goes into effect Aug. 1. Motorists will need to use hands-free technology in order to operate their smartphones. Limited hands-free operation is permitted for GPS and the playing of music. Fines for holding a cell phone under the measure pushed through by State Rep. Frank Hornstein will range from $50 (first offense) to $275. Gov. Tim Walz offered families of those lost to distracted drivers "the deepest apologies … [Read more...]
VW uses wrecks to build iPhone cases
April 30, 2018 by 1 Comment
Volkswagen Sweden has found a use for the carcasses of vehicles wrecked by distracted drivers: cell phone cases. "Do you know someone who needs a reminder?" a promo video for the startling public-safety campaign asks. The automaker produced 153 "handmade and numbered" cases for iPhone 8s from the wrecked vehicles' mangled metal -- one case for every crash since Sweden enacted a distracted driving law earlier this year. "We believe a phone case made by unfortunate cars makes you think twice before you pick up your phone," said Johan Karlsson of Volkswagen Stockholm. "It will be like 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...]
Recent Comments