Cell Phone Bans Added in Vermont and Georgia

Cell Phone Bans Added in Vermont and Georgia by Texting While Driving Accident Lawyer Justin A. Hill

States continue to enact laws limiting or banning the use of cell phones, smart phones, and other electronic devices by drivers.  Vermont and Georgia are the latest to follow this trend.  The IIHS reports:

A jurisdiction-wide ban on driving while talking on a hand-held cellphone is in place in 8 states (California, Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) and the District of Columbia. Utah has named the offense careless driving. Under the Utah law, no one commits an offense when speaking on a cellphone unless they are also committing some other moving violation other than speeding.  Local jurisdictions may or may not need specific state statutory authority to ban cellphones. Localities that have enacted restrictions on cellphone use include: Oahu, HI; Chicago, IL; Brookline, MA; Detroit, MI; Santa Fe, NM; Brooklyn, North Olmstead, and Walton Hills, OH; Conshohocken, Lebanon, and West Conshohocken, PA; Waupaca County, WI; and Cheyenne, WY.  The use of all cellphones while driving a school bus is prohibited in 19 states and the District of Columbia.  The use of all cellphones by novice drivers is restricted in 26 states and the District of Columbia.  Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 28 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, novice drivers are banned from texting in 8 states (Alabama, Delaware, Indiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas, and West Virginia) and school bus drivers are banned from text messaging in 2 states (Oklahoma, and Texas).  The table below shows the states that have cellphone laws, whether they specifically ban text messaging, and whether they are enforced as primary or secondary laws. Under secondary laws, an officer must have some other reason to stop a vehicle before citing a driver for using a cellphone. Laws without this restriction are called primary.

A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study found that when drivers text, their collision risk is 23 times greater than when not texting.  The real dangers of texting and driving are slowly becoming understood by the general public and juries confronted with these cases are reacting accordingly.  Our firm was involved in a record verdict associated with a texting and driving accident.   If someone you know was injured or killed as the result of a texting while driving incident, encourage them to immediately contact a competent attorney for advice. It is extremely important to do this quickly to ensure that evidence is preserved, statements are taken, and the rights of all claimants are protected.