driving safety News

N.J. Toughens Penalties for Texting, Talking on Hand-Held Device While Driving

New Jersey is stiffening the penalties for motorists who use handheld cellphones to talk or text. A bill signed into law Thursday increases the fine to a minimum of $200 and a maximum of $400 for a first offense. A …

NJM Donates Driving Simulators to Local New Jersey High Schools

New Jersey Manufacturers Insurance Company (NJM), the largest insurer of private passenger vehicles in the Garden State, donated driving simulators to 55 New Jersey high schools this month. The insurer said these simulators represent an investment of more than $700,000 …

Maine Highway Deaths Down From 2012

Highway safety officials say traffic deaths are down in Maine. The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety says 42 people have died on Maine roads so far this year. There were 53 deaths at this time last year. But officials caution …

Connecticut’s Anti-Distracted Driving Bill Sent to Governor

A bill that aims to further combat distracted driving in Connecticut now awaits Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s signature. Connecticut’s state Senate on Wednesday, by a vote of 26-9, passed a wide-ranging transportation bill that includes language adding distracted driving to …

No Guns for Some Pennsylvania Police, Radar Guns That Is

Jeff Streeter, chief of the Lone Tree Police Department in Colorado, was surprised to learn of a longtime tradition followed by local police in Pennsylvania. So were Brian Bossio, public information officer for the Stuart Police Department in Florida; Pat …

Connecticut’s Anti-Distracted Driving Bills Progress

Two bills aimed at combating distracted driving are progressing through the Connecticut General Assembly. The House of Representatives last Thursday voted 139-1 to add distracted driving to the list of moving violations that would be made available to insurance companies. …

Connecticut Bill Would Report Chatty Drivers to Insurers

Frustrated by drivers who ignore Connecticut’s ban on talking and texting on hand-held cellphones, some state legislators want insurance companies to know when their customers break the law. Lawmakers hope the prospect of higher insurance rates will finally encourage people …

Delaware Police Issue 2,000 Distracted Driving Tickets

Police in Delaware issued more than 2,000 tickets to drivers in a crackdown on using handheld cellphones behind the wheel. The Department of Highway Safety says the tickets were issued over two weeks in April in the second wave of …

New York City Sees Increase in Traffic-Related Deaths

The number of New York City traffic fatalities is on the rise.Officials say 274 people died in traffic-related deaths in 2012. That’s up from 245 a year earlier and the most since 2008.

Study: 3 New Jersey Roads Most Dangerous for Pedestrians

A new study awards a dubious distinction to three New Jersey roadways. The Tri-State Transportation Campaign finds that from 2009 to 2011, Route 130 in Burlington County, the Blackhorse Pike in Atlantic County and Route 1 in Middlesex County were …