Latest Distracted Driving Headlines
All the headlines from our Distracted Driving Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Connecticut Survey Finds Teens Often Text While Driving
Jun 9 2012 // Connecticut teens have acknowledged in a state survey that they talk and text on their cell phones while driving.Photo credit: the city of Gahanna, Ohio, websiteThe biennial state survey of risky teen behavior was released...
West Virginia Ban on Drivers’ Texting Begins June 1
Jun 7 2012 // The days of legally driving while texting in West Virginia are numbered. A new ban on texting that also targets hands-on cell phone chatter becomes law Friday. It’s among nearly 70 legislative bills taking effect...
Vermont Motorist Texts While Driving, Crashes Into Police Cruiser
May 21 2012 // Vermont police say a 33-year-old motorist was distracted while writing a text message on his cellphone when he crashed into a police car. Vermont State Police say Jesse Clayton crashed into a Rutland police cruiser at...
Survey: Young Drivers Know Risks But Text Anyway
May 21 2012 // Most young American drivers agree that it is dangerous to text while driving, but nearly a third admit they do it anyway, a survey by Consumer Reports shows. While eight in 10 said they knew of the risks, about 29 percent...
Young Drivers Know Risks But Text Anyway: Survey
May 8 2012 // Most young American drivers agree that it is dangerous to text while driving, but nearly a third admit they do it anyway, a survey by Consumer Reports shows. While eight in 10 said they knew of the risks, about 29 percent...
Jury Awards $24M to Woman Hit by Driver in Texas on Phone
May 7 2012 // A Corpus Christi jury awarded $24 million to a woman who was hit by a Coca-Cola truck driver who was chatting on her cellphone. The jury decided to give 37-year-old Vanice Chatman-Wilson $10 million in punitive damages and...
Transportation Chief Calls for National Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving
May 7 2012 // U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has called for a federal law to ban talking on a cell phone or texting while driving any type of vehicle on any road in the country. Tough federal legislation is the only way to...
Mass. AG Coakley Advises Teenagers: Don’t Text While Driving
May 4 2012 // Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and officials from across the country are advising teen drivers to be mindful of the dangers of texting while driving. A texting driver is 23 times more likely to get into an...
1000s Ticketed For Using Cellphones While Driving
Apr 30 2012 // Thousands of Nevadans have been ticketed for violating a new state law prohibiting the use of cellphones while driving. According to the Office of Traffic Safety, Las Vegas Metropolitan police issued 2,261 tickets in the...
Alabama Lawmakers Pass Ban on Texting While Driving
Apr 30 2012 // State lawmakers have voted unanimously to make Alabama the 38th state to ban texting while driving. A compromise version of the bill by Republican Rep. Jim McClendon of Springville cleared the House 95-0 and the Senate...
Transportation Chief Calls for National Ban on Cell Phone Use While Driving
Apr 27 2012 // U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood called on Thursday for a federal law to ban talking on a cell phone or texting while driving any type of vehicle on any road in the country. Tough federal legislation is the only...
Alaska Legislature Passes Ban On Texting While Driving
Apr 17 2012 // The Alaska state Senate passed HB255, a bill that bans texting while driving. The House passed the bill earlier. Lawmakers in 2008 passed legislation intended to ban texting while driving though it didn’t say texting...
Idaho House Lawmakers Pass Texting-While-Driving Ban
Mar 22 2012 // After several tries and frustrating setbacks, Idaho is set to join the majority of states that have toughened laws against sending text messages while driving. House lawmakers voted 53-17 Tuesday to bar motorists from...
Alaska Bill Bans Teens On Cellphones While Driving
Mar 16 2012 // A divided House committee has advanced a bill that would prohibit teens from talking on the phone while driving. Anchorage Democratic Rep. Berta Gardner’s HB128 would allow police to give citations only after someone...
Oklahoma Senate Rejects Phone Ban for Teen Drivers
Mar 15 2012 // The Oklahoma Senate has rejected a proposal that would have prevented teenagers from using cell phones while driving. The Senate voted 22-20 for the bill by Tulsa Republican Brian Crain, falling short of the 25 votes...
West Virginia Passes Ban on Texting While Driving
Mar 13 2012 // West Virginia lawmakers ended their 60-day legislative session over the weekend by passing agreements on fighting methamphetamine labs and targeting distracted drivers. A unanimous Senate vote and an 80-8 vote in the House...
Ban on Texting While Driving in Pennsylvania Goes Into Effect
Mar 8 2012 // A new state law requiring Pennsylvania drivers to pull over and stop if they want to use text-based communications went into effect at midnight Thursday, although it remains legal to use a hand-held cellphone behind the...
Cellphone Driving Ban Nets 27 Violators in Helena
Mar 5 2012 // Police in Helena, Mont. say they have issued 27 citations in a little over a month following a cellphone ban that went into effect in January making it illegal to use hand-held electronic devices while driving or bicycling...
Driver Texting Ban Passes Alabama House, Moves to Senate
Feb 23 2012 // The Alabama House has voted to ban drivers from sending or reading text messages while operating a motor vehicle on Alabama roads. The bill passed the House on a 92-0 vote. It now goes to the Senate for debate. The traffic...
Cellphone Driving Ban Nets 27 Violators in Helena
Feb 22 2012 // Police in Helena say they have issued 27 citations in a little over a month following a cellphone ban making it illegal to use hand-held electronic devices while driving or bicycling within city limits. Lt. Steve Hagen...
