Latest Distracted Driving Headlines
All the headlines from our Distracted Driving Topic Page, ordered by recency.
South Carolina Teens Can Text and Talk while Driving
May 2 2008 // South Carolina lawmakers decided it’s OK for 15- and 16-year-olds to talk and text message on cell phones while driving. The House voted April 30 to send a measure blocking such activities back to a committee, ending...
La. House Committee Approves Bill Limiting Drivers’ Cell Phone Use
Apr 16 2008 // Cell phone use by drivers would be restricted heavily in Louisiana, if the full Legislature agrees to a bill approved by the House Transportation Committee. The measure would ban the use of text-messaging while driving and...
Maryland Senate Revives Ban on Cell Phones, Texting While Driving
Mar 20 2008 // A cell phone driving ban that has been rejected many times by Maryland lawmakers — as recently as last week — is alive again and headed for approval in the Maryland Senate. But it’s still unclear whether this is...
Tennessee House Panel Kills Measure to Ban Text Messaging by Drivers
Mar 12 2008 // A Tennessee House subcommittee has killed a legislative proposal to ban text messaging while driving. The Public Safety and Rural Roads Subcommittee on Tuesday moved the legislation sponsored by Rep. Jon Lundberg, a...
States Look to Curb Text-Messaging Drivers; Could GPS Users Be Next?
Feb 10 2008 // Text messaging is all the rage. Hopefully, not a road rage. An increasing number of state lawmakers are concerned by the rash of accidents caused by text-happy drivers. Although many states already have laws that require...
States Look to Curb Text Messaging Drivers; Could GPS Users Be Next?
Jan 27 2008 // Text messaging is all the rage. Hopefully, not a road rage. An increasing number of state lawmakers are concerned by the rash of accidents caused by text-happy drivers. Although many states already have laws that require...
Mass. Bill to Ban Texting While Driving Includes Insurance Surcharges
Jan 25 2008 // The Massachusetts House has approved a bill banning drivers from talking or texting on cell phones while behind the wheel, despite opposition from a lawmaker from a city where authorities say a man sending a message struck...
N.H. Debates $100 Fine for Text-Messaging While Driving
Jan 25 2008 // New Hampshire is debating making it illegal for drivers to send text messages on cell phones or type on laptop computers. You still could talk on a cell phone while driving. Assistant Safety Commissioner Earl Sweeney told...
Okla. Bill Aims to Ban Texting, Cell Phone Use by Teens While Driving
Jan 25 2008 // Oklahoma House Democratic Leader Danny Morgan has filed legislation that would make it illegal for teenagers to use cell phones or text while driving. In announcing his bill, Morgan, D-Prague, said he believes the measure,...
Mass. Bills Would Ban Text Messaging by Drivers
Jan 4 2008 // The death of a 13-year-old Taunton, Mass. boy last month has prompted new calls to ban text messaging while driving. Craig Bigos of New Bedford told police he was sending a text message to a friend when he swerved and...
Virginia Legislator Wants to End Texting While Driving
Jan 3 2008 // Text-messaging while driving could be outlawed if a northern Virginia lawmaker gets his wish. Delegate James Scott, a Falls Church Democrat, has proposed a bill that would make it illegal for people to send text messages _...
Wis. Assembly Passes Cell Phone Ban for Teen Drivers
Dec 13 2007 // A proposal that would ban teen drivers from using cell phones passed the Assembly, 90-7, and now heads to the state Senate. Wisconsin would be the 16th state to limit or ban cell phone use by teen drivers if the bill...
N.H. Lawmaker Seeks Ban on Texting While Driving
Oct 31 2007 // A New Hampshire lawmaker wants the Legislature to send drivers a clear message: stop sending text messages while driving! Nashua Democrat David Campbell has filed the paperwork for a bill to ban two-handed texting or...
Pa. Really Hasn’t Banned Cell Phones While Driving…Yet
Oct 16 2007 // It’s still legal for drivers to use hand-held cellular telephones on Pennsylvania highways, although that may be news to some people. Someone — the source has not been identified — recently circulated a...
Idaho Falls Considers Rule Banning Cell Phones While Driving
Oct 15 2007 // The Idaho Falls City Council is considering a rule that would make it illegal to talk on the phone while driving if it interferes with safely controlling the vehicle. The rule would also ban other unsafe activities, like...
Conn. Drivers Ignore Cell Phone Ban
Oct 2 2007 // More people in Connecticut may be getting snagged by police for chatting on their hand-held cell phones while driving, but state lawmakers worry that not everyone is hanging up. “We are seeing more and more drivers...
Arizona Moves Closer to Ban on Texting While Driving
Sep 20 2007 // Phoenix City Council members want both hands on the wheel instead of texting and driving. The council is moving closer to becoming the first city in Arizona and among the first in the nation to ban text-messaging while...
Calif. Governor Signs Law to Ban Teen Cell Phone Use While Driving
Sep 14 2007 // California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed SB 33 by Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto, banning teenage drivers from using all electronic devices — such as cell phones, pagers and laptops — while behind the...
Calif. Bills, Laws Target Teen Drivers’ Cell Phones and Text Messages
Sep 11 2007 // Narin Leininger knows about the risks of talking on a cell phone or sending text messages while driving. The 16-year-old high school junior says he’d only use his phone behind the wheel in an emergency — a flat...
Okla. Lawmaker Proposes Ban on Cell Phone Use by School Bus Drivers
Aug 16 2007 // Legislation proposed by an Oklahoma state representative would prohibit school bus drivers from talking on their cell phone while driving the bus. The measure by Rep. Paul Wesselhoft, R-Moore, would also forbid teenagers...
