Latest Distracted Driving Headlines
All the headlines from our Distracted Driving Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Study Finds Hands-Free Cellphone Laws Effective at Preventing Deaths, Injuries
Aug 4 2021 // New research finds that hands-free cellphone laws are associated with fewer driver deaths, and laws in 21 states allowing only hands-free cell phone use by drivers have prevented about 140 driver deaths and 13,900 driver...
California Drivers Charged After Text Messages Detail Alleged Fraud Scheme
Jul 19 2021 // Maricela Pantjoa Vidrio, 31, of Fairfield, Calif., and Areshma Kiran, 35, of Sacramento, Calif., were charged on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud after allegedly conspiring to misrepresent the facts following an...
California Drivers Charged After Text Messages Detail Alleged Fraud Scheme
Jul 8 2021 // Maricela Pantjoa Vidrio, 31, of Fairfield, Calif., and Areshma Kiran, 35, of Sacramento, Calif., were charged on multiple felony counts of insurance fraud after allegedly conspiring to misrepresent the facts following an...
Louisiana Bill to Ban Handheld Phone Use While Driving Fails in Senate
Jun 8 2021 // Louisiana senators put the brakes on a bill that would have required motorists to use a handsfree device or speaker mode to talk on a cellphone while driving. The proposal by Republican Rep. Mike Huval fell one vote short...
Ban on Handheld Phone Use While Driving Passes Louisiana House
May 25 2021 // Louisiana drivers would have to use a handsfree device or put their cellphones on speaker mode to talk on the phone while driving or risk a fine from police, under a proposal that won House backing. Republican Rep. Mike...
Ohio Bill Would Ban Drivers from Holding Phones, Devices
May 4 2021 // Holding a cell phone or other electronic device while driving in Ohio would be illegal under legislation introduced May 3 that takes aim at distracted driving by targeting not just texting but scrolling through social...
Distracted Driving Bill Crashes In Alabama Legislature
Apr 15 2021 // The Alabama House of Representatives last week narrowly rejected a proposal to fine people for using a smartphone while driving. The bill by Republican Rep. K.L. Brown of Jacksonville would have prohibited a driver from...
Distracted Driving a Major Problem in Texas, Transportation Officials Say
Apr 9 2021 // Distracted driving comes in second for the cause of traffic crashes in Texas, state transportation officials say. The Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) reports that one in five traffic crashes are caused by cell...
North Carolina Agents Launch Distracted Driving Campaign
Apr 7 2021 // The Independent Insurance Agents of North Carolina (IIANC) have launched a campaign designed to inform and educate the driving public, especially parents and young drivers, about the peril of distracted driving, which...
Distracted Driving Behaviors Increased During Pandemic. Are Bosses to Blame?
Mar 31 2021 // One in four drivers thinks that roads are safer today than they were before the pandemic, yet a growing number of drivers are texting or emailing while driving– in part as more of them feel pressured to be available...
Data: Florida’s Texting-While-Driving Law Rarely Enforced
Mar 24 2021 // A Hillsborough County sheriff’s deputy was heading east on Interstate 4 in his red Dodge Charger on a brilliantly sunny afternoon in Florida when he saw him: A young driver behind the wheel of a Jeep texting on his...
Georgia Lawmaker Seeks to Close Loophole in Hands-Free Phone Law
Feb 4 2021 // A Georgia state House member says drivers should not be able to avoid penalties by telling judges they have purchased hands-free devices for their cellphones. Republican Rep. John Carson of Marietta that the current...
Idaho Distracted Driving Law Kicks in, Insurers May Consider Citations in Rates
Jan 4 2021 // Starting Jan. 1, drivers violating Idaho’s hands-free device, distracted driving law risked getting a citation. The law has been in effect since July 1, but Idaho State Police troopers have been issuing warnings to...
Holding a Phone While Driving Will Soon Be Illegal in Virginia
Dec 14 2020 // It will soon be illegal in Virginia to hold a phone while driving. WAVY-TV reported that the new state law takes effect in January. Authorities say that making the practice illegal and enforceable is an important step...
Despite Warnings and Laws, Drivers Continue to Be Distracted by Phones
Nov 18 2020 // Despite education programs and state laws, phone-based driving distraction is still on the rise—and is likely responsible for far more accidents than widely reported, says a new study from Cambridge Mobile Telematics...
Georgia Begins Weeklong Crackdown on Distracted Driving
Oct 5 2020 // In an effort to get drivers to keep their eyes on the road while they’re behind the wheel, law enforcement officers in Georgia plan to participate in a statewide crackdown on distracted driving. State and local...
New Jersey Driver Accused of Texting Gets Prison in Pedestrian’s Death
Aug 27 2020 // A New Jersey woman has been sentenced to five years in prison in the death of a pedestrian that prosecutors said occurred as the driver was texting – an accusation the defendant denied on the stand. Alexandra...
Profit-Driven Automakers Race to Next Level of Not Quite Self-Driving Cars
Jul 15 2020 // Autopilot, ProPilot, CoPilot: Automakers have many names for new systems that allow for hands-free driving, but no safety or performance standards to follow as they roll out the most significant changes to vehicle...
New Indiana State Law Bans Use of Handheld Phone While Driving
Jul 2 2020 // Using a handheld cellphone while driving is now illegal on Indiana roads under a new state law that took effect this week. The move aimed at combating distracted driving went onto the books on July 1 after being approved...
Cellphone While Driving Ban Goes into Effect in Idaho
Jun 30 2020 // Effective July 1 using a handheld phone while operating a moving motor vehicle in Idaho is prohibited. Idaho drivers will receive warnings until Jan. 1, 2021. The American Property Casualty Insurance Association is...
