Latest Distracted Driving Headlines
All the headlines from our Distracted Driving Topic Page, ordered by recency.
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...
Teen drivers talk, text too much while on the road
Jul 23 2007 // An alarming number of teen drivers are engaging in risky behavior, including sending and reading text messages, and talking on their cell phones while driving, according to research by AAA and Seventeen magazine. The...
Public Supports Automated Traffic Enforcement, Study Says
Jul 20 2007 // A new report by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) shows that public support for red light and speed cameras is strong and growing. The report, Public Attitude Monitor, Issue 1, Highway Safety, analyzes public opinion on...
N.J. Could Join States Penalizing Drivers Using Cell Phones
Jun 15 2007 // New Jersey could become the fourth state to allow police to ticket drivers whenever they’re seen using a hand-held cell phone while driving. An Assembly committee on Thursday was slated to consider a Senate-approved...
Today is ‘Distracted Driving Awareness Day’ in Virginia
Jun 6 2007 // AAA Mid-Atlantic and Drive Smart Virginia, along with the insurance industry and other partners, are calling on Virginians to take action today on Distracted Driving Awareness Day and make a pledge to pay attention while...
Maine Bill to Ban Teen Drivers’ Cell Phone Use Advances
May 21 2007 // A bill to ban teen drivers in Maine from using cell phones and other electronic devices has won unanimous approval from a legislative committee. The original bill was supposed to ban the use of hand-held cell phones by...
Vermont House Moves Seat Belt, Cell Phone, Teen Driving Bill
May 3 2007 // The Vermont House advanced a bill this week that toughens the state’s seat belt law and bans chatty motorists from using anything but a “handsfree” cell phone while driving. The bill given preliminary...
