Latest Distracted Driving Headlines
All the headlines from our Distracted Driving Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Safety Board Hits Tesla Autopilot Design, Regulator’s ‘Misguided’ Approach
Feb 26 2020 // The National Transportation Safety Board on Tuesday sharply criticized Tesla Inc.’s lack of system safeguards in a fatal 2018 Autopilot crash in California and called U.S. regulators’ approach in overseeing the...
Parents in South Dakota Plead for Tougher Texting While Driving Penalties
Feb 24 2020 // Jacob William Dahl was a 19-year-old Northern State University student when he was killed after running into the back of a soybean truck while looking at his cellphone. Dahl, a 2013 graduate of Castlewood High School, was...
Hold the Phone: Massachusetts’ Hands-Free Driving Law to Take Effect
Feb 21 2020 // Massachusetts’ new hands-free driving law takes effect this Sunday, February 23rd. The law, signed by Governor Charlie Baker in November, is intended to reduce the number of distracted driving injuries and deaths in...
Ohio Bill Would Make Using Hand-Held Device While Driving a Primary Offense
Feb 19 2020 // A new bill introduced in Ohio would strengthen Ohio’s laws regarding the use of wireless devices, including smartphones, while driving. The Hands-Free Ohio bill, sponsored by Sen. Stephanie Kunze (R-Hilliard) and...
South Carolina Senate Nixes Bill to Ban Handheld Phones While Driving
Feb 3 2020 // It appears that bill in South Carolina requiring anyone using a cellphone while driving to not hold the phone in their hands will not pass this year. The Senate Transportation Committee decided Wednesday to not vote on the...
Michigan City Ramping Up Enforcement of Ban on Using Handheld Phone While Driving
Dec 31 2019 // Police in Battle Creek, Michigan are enforcing a local ban on the use of a handheld phone while driving. The prohibition has been on the books for months, but signs recently went up at Battle Creek’s city entry...
Ohio Governor Says Distracted Driving Should Be Primary Offense
Dec 23 2019 // Distracted driving should be reason enough to pull someone over in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine said as he promised a legislative proposal soon to upgrade the offense. DeWine also said it’s time for a cultural recognition...
Michigan House Votes to Ban Drivers Under 18 from Using Cellphones
Dec 13 2019 // Drivers younger than 18 would be prohibited from using cellphones except for emergencies under legislation approved by the Michigan House. Michigan now bars drivers with a learner’s or intermediate permit –...
More than 5K Minnesota Motorists Cited for Using Cellphones While Driving
Oct 28 2019 // State officials say more than 5,000 citations have been issued to drivers in Minnesota since a hands-free law took effect in August. The new law makes it illegal to use a cellphone while driving. Department of Public...
Idaho City Bans Handheld Phone Use While Driving
Oct 28 2019 // One of the largest cities in Idaho has banned the use of a hand-held phone while driving. Meridian’s city council approved the ordinance last week, prohibiting the use of hand-held devices any time a vehicle is in a...
Florida Law Banning Cellphones While Driving in School, Construction Zones Takes Effect
Oct 2 2019 // Better keep your hands off that cellphone if you are driving near a school or through a construction zone in Florida. As of Tuesday, it is against the law to hold a cellphone while driving in those places. Florida earlier...
Wisconsin Man Wants State to Adopt Driver Hands-Free Cellphone Law
Aug 29 2019 // A Wisconsin man who spent three years lobbying Minnesota lawmakers to ban the use of cellphones or other electronic devices while driving said he wants his home state to adopt similar legislation. Thomas Goeltz lost his...
678 Citations in 1st Week of Minnesota’s Hands-Free Law
Aug 23 2019 // Minnesota Department of Public Safety officials say officers cited 678 drivers across the state during the first week of the new hands-free cellphone law. The Star Tribune reports that officers handed out 286 citations in...
Minnesota Law Requiring Drivers to Use Hands-Free Phones Now in Effect
Aug 2 2019 // A reminder to Minnesota motorists — keep your hands off your cellphone while driving. A new state law took effect Aug. 1 banning drivers from talking on the phone unless they are using a hands-free device. Officials say...
Cellphones Still a Flight Danger on Some Boeing Jets
Jul 18 2019 // U.S. government officials in 2014 revealed an alarming safety issue: Passenger mobile phones and other types of radio signals could pose a crash threat to some models of Boeing 737 and 777 airplanes. More than 1,300 jets...
Nearly 25K Citations Issued in First Year of Georgia Hands-Free Law
Jul 18 2019 // Citations for distracted driving have jumped in the past year since Georgia made it illegal to drive while holding a cellphone. A state law that took effect July 1, 2018, prohibits drivers from holding a cellphone while...
Minnesota Safety Officials Building Awareness of New Hands-Free Cellphone Law
Jul 2 2019 // Minnesota safety officials are redoubling their efforts to make drivers aware of a state law that takes effect Aug 1 requiring that motorists use hands-free devices while phoning on the road. Department of Public Safety...
Tennessee Hand-Held Phone Driving Ban Becomes Law
Jul 2 2019 // Drivers in Tennessee could face fines if they’re caught using hand-held cellphones behind the wheel as the new law took effect Monday. The new distracted driving law makes it illegal to drive while holding or...
North Carolina Lawmakers Disagree Over Watered Down Hands Free Bill
Jun 13 2019 // Weeks after North Carolina House members watered down a distracted driving bill, state senators want to restore robust language that would prohibit drivers from holding their cellphones. Republican lawmakers and parents of...
Texas Transportation Agency: Distracted Driving Still a Problem
Jun 6 2019 // Approximately 1 in 5 crashes in Texas involves distracted driving, which continues to be a problem in the state even after a state law banned texting and driving in 2017, the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT)...
