Latest Distracted Driving Headlines
All the headlines from our Distracted Driving Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Alaska Bill On Proof Of Insurance Via Cell Phone Advances
Mar 21 2013 // If a bill passes out of the Alaska Legislature, you might be handing an officer your phone instead of paper. HB146, by Rep. Pete Higgins, would allow drivers to display proof of automobile insurance on a “personal...
More U.S. Than European Drivers on Phone: Study
Mar 19 2013 // Distracted driving is more widespread in the U.S. than in Europe, according to a study that surveyed drivers about their cellphone and texting habits. More U.S. drivers reported talking on their cellphones behind the wheel...
Kentucky Judges Dismiss Texting While Driving Charges
Mar 12 2013 // Jefferson County, Kentucky judges have dismissed nearly 40 percent of the texting while driving charges brought under the state’s two-year-old ban while police and prosecutors say the ban is nearly impossible to...
Texting While Driving Injuries to Rise Despite Bans, Warnings: Study
Mar 8 2013 // As states take measures to keep drivers from texting and talking while driving, a new report from researchers at the West Virginia University School of Public Health asserts the laws probably aren’t having much...
Florida Senate Advances Bill Banning Texting While Driving
Mar 7 2013 // A statewide texting-while-driving ban that has eluded passage for several years is again moving through the Florida Legislature. The Senate Communications committee meets Wednesday to consider the bill (SB 52). Opponents...
Panel Kills South Dakota Plan to Ban Texting While Driving
Mar 1 2013 // A South Dakota legislative committee has killed a bill that would have banned texting while driving statewide, despite sometimes-tearful testimony from people whose loved ones have been killed in texting-related...
South Dakota Panel Endorses Cellphone Ban for Young Drivers
Feb 28 2013 // A measure that prohibits beginning drivers from using cellphones or other electronic devices until they get unrestricted licenses at age 16 passed through a South Dakota House committee. But the Transportation Committee...
Texas Auto Insurers Back Texting While Driving Restrictions
Feb 27 2013 // Texas’ major auto insurers support proposed legislation to prohibit texting while driving as the next logical step to prevent accidents and deaths on Texas’ increasingly crowded roadways. Beaman Floyd,...
Missouri Texting While Driving Law Nabs Few Violators
Feb 26 2013 // A 2009 Missouri law that bans young drivers from using their cell phones to send text messages has led to few citations and remains difficult to enforce, a Columbia newspaper reports. The Columbia Missourian reports that...
Houston Officer: Texting Drivers Are Blind Drivers
Feb 25 2013 // Houston Police Officer Paul Lassalle said it used to be easy spotting drunk drivers. “Prior to the use of cell phones, they were the ones creeping along on the freeway creating a traffic hazard or veering out of...
South Dakota Senate Passes Ban on Texting While Driving
Feb 21 2013 // A measure that would ban texting while driving was approved by the state Senate after supporters said South Dakota needs to join the 39 other states that prohibit the dangerous practice. Senators voted 24-9 to approve the...
Arizona Teen Drivers Face Cellphone Ban Under Senate Bill
Feb 15 2013 // Arizona lawmakers are coming after teen drivers’ cellphones. A bill approved by the Senate Committee on Public Safety on Wednesday seeks to prohibit teenagers from using wireless devices while they have their...
Houston Officer: Texting Drivers Are Blind Drivers
Feb 13 2013 // Houston Police Officer Paul Lassalle said it used to be easy spotting drunk drivers. “Prior to the use of cell phones, they were the ones creeping along on the freeway creating a traffic hazard or veering out of...
Utah Driver Accused Of Texting, Driving In Fatal
Jan 28 2013 // A 28-year-old Utah man has been ordered to stand trial for automobile homicide after police say he was texting while driving when he struck and killed a teenage pedestrian. Jeffrey Lloyd Bascom of Jensen faces a felony...
Legislation Would Ban Texting While Driving in Oklahoma
Jan 24 2013 // Legislation filed by state Rep. Curtis McDaniel would increase safety on Oklahoma roads by banning texting while driving, the lawmaker says. House Bill 1503, by McDaniel, would outlaw texting while their vehicle is in...
Michigan Governor Signs Cellphone Ban for Novice Drivers
Jan 14 2013 // Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation prohibiting novice drivers from using a cellphone while behind the wheel. The bill applies to holders of Level 1 licenses, who must be accompanied by a parent, guardian or...
Thousands of Drivers Caught In Northern California Cell Phone Crackdown
Dec 26 2012 // Nearly 3,000 drivers were caught breaking cell phone rules during a crackdown in Sacramento County in Northern California. California was one of two states to receive grants for high-visibility law enforcement pilot...
Mostly Verbal Warnings, not Tickets, to Texting Texas Drivers
Dec 3 2012 // A year since it began enforcing a ban on texting while driving, a North Texas city says awareness has increased despite the small number of tickets written. Arlington police have issued 49 citations to drivers who were...
Texting Driver Gets Prison in Ohio Fatal Crash
Nov 30 2012 // An Ohio driver distracted by a text message when he caused a fatal crash has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison. A judge in southern Ohio’s Jackson County sentenced 31-year-old Christopher Haines on Nov....
Arlington, Texas Issues Few Tickets to Texting Drivers
Nov 25 2012 // A year since it began enforcing a ban on texting while driving, a North Texas city says awareness has increased despite the small number of tickets written. Arlington police have issued 49 citations to drivers who were...
