Governors of three states recently signed into law bills prohibiting text messaging while driving (TWD).
Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski (D) on July 28 signed into law House Bill 2377, which prohibits all drivers from TWD. The law states police officers can enforce the provision only as a secondary action when a driver has been detained for a suspected traffic violation or other offense. The law will not apply in 11 special cases, including emergency use. Violators are subject to a fine of $90 or less.
Attention Oregon Employers: Do you have employees that drive for work? Do you know if they are on their phones while on the road for you? For more information on the dangers of texting and driving, plan on attending ESC's 1-day Traffic Safety Conference in Portland Oregon. It is free to attend - Register Today!
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D) signed into law on Aug. 6 House Bill 71, which bans TWD for all motorists. The law will allow police to stop and ticket drivers for sending text messages, downloading ring tones or surfing the Internet on their mobile phones.
New Hampshire became the 15th state to ban TWD when Gov. John Lynch (D) signed into law House Bill 34. The law prohibits TWD and using two hands to operate an electronic or telecommunications device while driving. The law will not apply in cases of emergency or for global positioning systems and devices permanently affixed to a vehicle. Violation of the law will result in a $100 fine.
All three laws go into effect on Jan. 1, 2010.
Source: The National Safety Council
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