Latest Distracted Driving Headlines
All the headlines from our Distracted Driving Topic Page, ordered by recency.
South Dakota Law Bars Young Drivers from Using Cell Phones
Jul 2 2013 // A new South Dakota law prohibits beginning drivers from using cell phones while they are behind the wheel. South Dakota allows 14-year-olds to get instruction permits, the nation’s youngest age for driving while...
N.J. Toughens Penalties for Texting, Talking on Hand-Held Device While Driving
Jun 28 2013 // New Jersey is stiffening the penalties for motorists who use handheld cellphones to talk or text. A bill signed into law Thursday increases the fine to a minimum of $200 and a maximum of $400 for a first offense. A second...
Survey: Texting While Driving Common Among N.J. Drivers
Jun 17 2013 // New Jersey auto insurance group Plymouth Rock Assurance released a distracted driving study that found nearly 50 percent of those polled said they have in the past asked a driver to stop texting while the car was in...
Alaska Police Officer’s Distracted Driving Trial Begins
Jun 14 2013 // An Iraq veteran is suing the municipality of Anchorage for damages suffered when a police officer ran a red light and crashed into his pickup. The Anchorage Daily News reported the trial in Melvin Rush’s lawsuit...
Hands-Free Voice Messaging Behind Wheel More Dangerous Than Phoning: Study
Jun 12 2013 // Using voice-to-text messaging, included in systems such as Ford Motor Co.’s Sync and Toyota Motor Corp.’s Entune, is more distracting to drivers than making calls with handheld mobile phones, a study by AAA...
Connecticut’s Anti-Distracted Driving Bill Sent to Governor
Jun 7 2013 // A bill that aims to further combat distracted driving in Connecticut now awaits Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s signature. Connecticut’s state Senate on Wednesday, by a vote of 26-9, passed a wide-ranging...
Connecticut’s Anti-Distracted Driving Bills Progress
Jun 3 2013 // Two bills aimed at combating distracted driving are progressing through the Connecticut General Assembly. The House of Representatives last Thursday voted 139-1 to add distracted driving to the list of moving violations...
Big Brother or Big Helper?
Jun 3 2013 // A new technology that allows users to track a driver’s mobile phone usage could give fleet managers another tool in the battle against distracted driving. Cellcontrol, the maker of technology to stop distracted...
Survey Says Texting While Driving Common Among N.J. Drivers
May 29 2013 // New Jersey auto insurance group Plymouth Rock Assurance has released a distracted driving study this week that found approximately 50 percent of passengers polled have asked a driver to stop texting while the car was in...
National Group Praises Hawaii Cellphone Driving Law
May 23 2013 // A national nonprofit is cheering Hawaii’s new law that prohibits people from holding cellphones and other portable electronics while driving. Jonathan Adkins from the Governors Highway Safety Association in...
DriveID Can Block or Track Driver’s Mobile Use
May 21 2013 // Fleet managers and parents of teenager drivers were given another weapon in their battle against distracted driving on Tuesday. That’s according to Cellcontrol, the maker of technology to stop distracted driving. The...
Utah Bans Teen Drivers From Using Cellphones
May 15 2013 // Before she pulls out of the driveway, Stefhany Robles switches her phone on silent or turns it off. The 16-year-old junior at Salt Lake City’s West High School says the distraction isn’t worth shooting off a...
San Francisco Drops Fight For Cellphone Radiation Warning Law
May 9 2013 // San Francisco appears to be giving up its battle for an ordinance that would require retailers to warn customers about cellphone radiation and its health effects. The San Francisco Chronicle reported the Board of...
West Virginia Enforcing Texting While Driving Ban: 125 Convictions
May 7 2013 // In the first 10 months since a West Virginia law banned driving while texting or talking on a hand-held cell phone, 125 offenders have been convicted of doing just that. The Charleston Gazette said the number of...
Connecticut Bill Would Report Chatty Drivers to Insurers
May 5 2013 // Frustrated by drivers who ignore Connecticut’s ban on talking and texting on hand-held cellphones, some state legislators want insurance companies to know when their customers break the law. Lawmakers hope the...
Florida Lawmakers Advance Texting While Driving Bill
May 2 2013 // The Florida House has passed its version of a statewide ban on texting while driving, but the proposal’s fate is uncertain. The House passed the bill (SB 52) on a 110-6 vote Wednesday. It includes an amendment that...
Delaware Police Issue 2,000 Distracted Driving Tickets
May 2 2013 // Police in Delaware issued more than 2,000 tickets to drivers in a crackdown on using handheld cellphones behind the wheel. The Department of Highway Safety says the tickets were issued over two weeks in April in the second...
Oklahoma House Kills Texting and Driving Ban Again
Apr 25 2013 // An Oklahoma legislator has vowed to keep pushing for a ban on texting while driving after the House scuttled the proposal for the third time this session. The latest text ban attempt came in the form of an amendment by...
Nevada Senate Approves Cellphone Tracking Bill
Apr 22 2013 // The Nevada Senate has approved a bill designed to give law enforcement quicker access to cellphone locations in times of emergency. SB268 gives cellphone carriers protections for providing information during certain...
Texting While Driving Ban Advances in Texas House
Apr 18 2013 // A renewed push to make texting while driving illegal in Texas stayed afloat on April 17, but only after narrowly defeating bipartisan resistance to an outright ban over concerns that ranged from racial profiling to...
