Posted on March 4, 2008 by Juliet Sallette

Put the phone down while driving in N.J. or risk $100 fine for texting or talking on cell phone

New Jersey drivers will be fined $100 if they are caught using a hand held devices to talk or to send text messages while driving. Starting Saturday, March 1, 2008, the new law went into effect. Police will be issuing fines for $100 if they catch drivers in the act of texting or not using a hand held device while driving.

New Jersey is among four other states, New York, California, Connecticut and Washington, D.C., to have such laws. According to a survey done by Nationwide Insurance, 73 percent of drivers use cell phones and 20 percent text while driving. The New Jersey Gov. Jon S. Corzine signed the legislation giving police more authority to target drivers using hand-held cell phones, and making it illegal to send text messages while driving - distractions legislators contend make for risky driving. The law however, allows drivers to use hands free devices to talk on the phone.

Do Hands Free devices make the roads safer? According to reports from the transportation officials, nearly half of the 3,580 phone-related crashes in New Jersey involved a hands-free device, Five of 11 fatal accidents involving a cell phone that year also involved a hands-free device. This data was from 2006. Russ Rader of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety said those figures are consistent with recent research showing no difference in crash risk between hand-held and hands-free cell phones.

Although, Florida has not joined the pack in banning texting and cell phone use without a hands free device, We urge you to use caution and common sense.  If you are driving, pay attention to the road and do not text and drive.  If you must send a text, pull over, stop driving and send your text message. After you are finished, compose yourself and proceed with caution to get back on the highway if you have pulled over.  If you do not have one, go out and purchase a hands free device for your cell phone. However, as the statistics above show, driving while not concentrating can cause accidents even with a hands free device.  Always exercise caution while driving and talking.  Your primary focus should be operating your vehicle safely and paying attention to what is happening on the roadway, not your phone conversation, which can be a distraction.

Click here to read more on texting and cell phone use bans from 6ABC.com, AP and the Gainesville Sun

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Posted on November 2, 2007 by LaBovick Law

Legislation for Ban on Texting While Driving gaining steam around the Country

Texting while driving is becoming trendy and dangerous.  It is not uncommon to see someone text while driving these days, especially teens. Let's not forget the Blackberry Crowd. They are equally dangerous to drivers on the road.  One New Hampshire Lawmaker  is doing something about it, Nashua's David Campbell has filed the paperwork for a bill to ban two-handed texting or typing on any electronic or telecommunications device while driving. According to Campbell in a recent Associated Press article,  "You need at least one hand to operate a motor vehicle,'' a police officer told him cell phone texting isn't the only problem. Some drivers are typing on laptop computers while behind the wheel." He seeks only to ban two-handed typing or texting.

In a recent accident involving a 17-year old, text messages were sent to and from the teen driver before the deadly crash involving a tractor trailer crash.  This is any parents nightmare. Their teen dying at the wheel, while on the phone.  Adults are not immune to texting while driving. According to Lynch Ryan  Worker's Comp Insider Blog,"You can make a case that a vehicle can be operated safely while the driver talks on a cell phone - preferably with a head piece - but no case can be made for safe driving while the operator's eyes are actually focused on the mobile device. Texting, like alcohol, does not go with driving."  I agree wholeheartedly.  The cell phone providers should do more to bring awareness to the dangers of texting while driving. According to a recent study by AAA on teen texting while driving habits, nearly 46% of teens, text while driving.  

Blogger, Anne Donnegan, hit it nail on the head, when she said, more people may have to die in DWT accidents, before legislators eventually see the light and pass a bill banning DWT.

Thankfully, lawmakers around the country are introducing legislation to curb this dangerous behavior. A few brave champions, such as Washington State, Phoenix and New Hampshire are writing legislation on Driving while texting.

What are your thoughts on texting while driving?  Should it be illegal?  What is better a fine or points on a license? The answer remains with concerned citizens. Do you want your loved one killed or injured by a driver that is texting?  If not, find out if your local city or state has a ban on DWT - Driving While Texting. If not, contact your local lawmaker and suggest this legislation. Share what other cities are doing such as: Washington,  Phoenix, and New Hampshire. Make a difference and let your voice be heard in the fight to end DWT accidents.

Click here to read more from the Insurance Journal

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