2012

As the threat of distracted driving has grown, local communities and states from across the country have turned to increasingly drastic measures in order to crack down on the cellphone usage scourge. States and municipalities that have never had a distracted driving ban of any kind have begun to institute them in force, and those… read more

With the threat of distracted driving more prevalent than ever before, it’s always nice to be able to report on a community that is doing what it can to prevent drivers from engaging in this dangerous practice. Beachwood, Ohio, is the latest city to promote an end to distracted driving by issuing a ban on… read more

Texting while driving bans are becoming commonplace across the country, particularly at the state level.  But as a new report demonstrates, local communities can face challenges when trying to reconcile their own laws with those of the state as a whole. The city of Twin Falls, Idaho is one such city attempting to prevent confusion… read more

Texting in Arkansas has been illegal for three years now, but as a new report illustrates, that doesn’t necessarily mean that people have curtailed their texting habit. The state’s ban on texting went into effect way back on November 1, 2009 with the passage of Act 181.  But according to statistics from the Arkansas Crime… read more

Texting while driving bans have been sweeping the nation, but as this next story illustrates, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s becoming easier for law enforcement officials to crack down on the practice. In Iowa, officers have had trouble issuing citations for a texting while driving offense.  The breach is considered a secondary offense in… read more

Text messaging is becoming continually more widespread in the United States, a trend many law enforcement offers across the country view as cause for concern. In 2011, Americans read or composed approximately 196 billion text based messages, a figure marking a 50 percent increase from 2009. In response to the increasing prevalence of text messaging,… read more

Alabama recently became the latest state to enact legislation prohibiting drivers from engaging in text based messaging while behind the wheel. In the neighboring state of Mississippi, however, texting while driving is still legal in most cases, and, though the practice has already become a topic for discussion in state courtrooms, the idea of a… read more

Ohio is the latest state to make a ban on texting while driving official. In Columbus today, the governor of that state signed the bill into law while surrounded by people who lost family members in crashes brought about by someone texting at the wheel.  The measure, which will go into effect in three months,… read more

The state of Pennsylvania recently passed legislation prohibiting motorists from sending and receiving text messages while driving, but state law enforcement officials are having trouble enforcing the new law. Three of the most populous municipalities in Pennsylvania’s West Shore region — East Pennsboro and Upper and Lower Allen — haven’t ticketed a single driver for… read more

Nearly 100 Minnesotans were cited for sending and receiving text messages while operating a motor vehicle during a recent single day focused enforcement effort. This saturation patrol was the result of a joint effort between 250 local and state law enforcement agencies. In comparison, an average day in 2011 yielded approximately 3.5 citations for text… read more

Alabama is one step closer to disallowing the practice of texting while driving. Yesterday, members of the Senate met to vote on House Bill 2, which would ban people from texting while behind the wheel of an automobile.  The measure was approved by a 24 to 7 vote.  This comes in addition to a similar… read more

The state of Ohio does not currently have a law against texting while driving, but once West Virginia passes its ban on texting while driving, 35 other states, including all the states bordering Ohio will have such laws. The state’s chapter of the American Automobile Association has begun to urge the Ohio legislature to pass… read more