Latest Distracted Driving Headlines

All the headlines from our Distracted Driving Topic Page, ordered by recency.

Alaska City Considering $500 Ticket for Texting While Driving

Oct 26 2015 // Texting while driving in Anchorage, Alaska may land drivers a $500 traffic ticket under a proposal that shifts the violation from criminal to traffic court.The Alaska Dispatch News reported assembly members will discuss...

Using Hands-Free Technology While Driving Is ‘Surprisingly’ Risky: AAA Research

Oct 26 2015 // Mental distractions can persist for as long as 27 seconds after dialing, changing music or sending a text using voice commands, according to new research on distracted driving.Drivers using phones and vehicle information...

Michigan Drivers May Soon Show Proof of Insurance on Phone

Oct 9 2015 // Michigan drivers pulled over by the police will be able to show proof of their auto insurance on a phone or another mobile device instead of having to provide a hard copy under legislation signed by Gov. Rick Snyder. The...

Massachusetts Considers Ban on Handheld Cellphone Use While Driving

Oct 8 2015 // Families of those killed in distracted driving accidents are asking Massachusetts lawmakers to back legislation that would require drivers to use hand-free phones in the state.Foxborough, Massachusetts, resident Jerry...

Michigan Bill Enabling Drivers to Show Police Insurance on Phone OK’d

Oct 2 2015 // Drivers pulled over by the police in Michigan will be able to show proof of their auto insurance on a phone or another mobile device instead of having to provide a hard copy under legislation going to Gov. Rick Snyder for...

Rhode Island Attorney General Urges Teens to Not Text While Driving

Sep 29 2015 // Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin is urging teenage drivers to not use their cell phones while driving as part of the fourth annual “It Can Wait” campaign in the state. Kilmartin kicked off this...

Distracted Driving Leading to Increase in Wrecks on South Carolina Interstate

Sep 17 2015 // Authorities say distracted driving is to blame for a jump in wrecks involving stopped vehicles on Interstate 85 in South Carolina. The Office of Highway Safety and Justice Programs told the Greenville News that 408...

Hands-Free Law Urged for Massachusetts Drivers

Aug 21 2015 // Welcome to Massachusetts signs can mean more to drivers than just crossing a state line.For some, they also signal that it’s OK to pick up their cellphones, punch in a phone number and make a call. That’s...

Crack Down On Drivers Using Cellphones in Hawaii

Jul 23 2015 // Kauai police say they have issued 539 tickets to people using cellphones while driving, an offense that can come with a pricey $300 fine for first-time law-breakers.Hawaii officials are cracking down on the use of...

New Mexico Police Use Software to Stop Distracted Driving

Jul 21 2015 // Farmington police may be the first in New Mexico to crack down on distracted officers who try to use a patrol computer while driving.New software to prevent distracted driving has been installed in most of the...

New Hampshire’s ‘Hands-Free’ Driving Law in Effect

Jul 20 2015 // New Hampshire is now the 15th state to bar drivers from using hand-held cellphones while driving.The new “hands-free” law, in effect as of July 1, applies to all hand-held devices, including GPS units, tablets...

N.H. Law Banning Drivers’ Use of Hand-Held Devices Goes Into Effect

Jul 2 2015 // New Hampshire is now the 15th state to bar drivers from using hand-held cellphones while driving.The new “hands-free” law, in effect as of Wednesday, July 1, applies to all hand-held devices, including GPS...

More Distracted Drivers Than Ever on Penn. Roads

May 18 2015 // Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel! A new report says more people in Pennsylvania are being caught for distracted driving than ever before.The report from the state’s court system says 1,410 drivers were cited for...

Oklahoma Texting While Driving Ban Signed by Governor

May 7 2015 // Gov. Mary Fallin added her signature to legislation that makes it illegal to text message while driving in Oklahoma and then issued a challenge to the state’s motorists.“Don’t text and drive in the state...

Report: More Distracted Drivers Than Ever on Pennsylvania Roads

May 5 2015 // Eyes on the road, hands on the wheel!A new report says more people in Pennsylvania are being caught for distracted driving than ever before. The report from the state’s court system says 1,410 drivers were cited for...

Oklahoma Ban on Texting and Driving Goes to Governor

Apr 30 2015 // Oklahoma is in line to become the 46th in the nation to pass a ban on texting and driving.A bill passed on April 29 by the House goes to Gov. Mary Fallin, who urged lawmakers in her State of the State speech in February to...

Texting While Driving Ban OK’d in Oklahoma Senate

Apr 13 2015 // Oklahoma drivers could be pulled over and ticketed for texting while driving under a bill passed overwhelmingly in the state Senate.The Senate voted 38-6 for the HB 1965, which now returns to the House for consideration....

Maryland Authorities Cracking Down on Distracted Drivers

Apr 3 2015 // Maryland State Police are cracking down on distracted driving this month.During April, the agency says that troopers from all 22 barracks statewide will conduct additional patrols to identify distracted drivers. They say...

Erie Survey Finds Wide Range of Distracted Behaviors Behind Wheel

Mar 27 2015 // To discourage distracted driving in conjunction with National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, Erie Insurance, based in Erie, Pennsylvania, recently asked drivers what they do behind the wheel. The online...

Texting While Driving Officially Banned in Mississippi

Mar 26 2015 // Mississippi has become the 45th state to ban texting while driving after Governor Phil Bryant signed the bill into law this past week. House Bill 389 prohibits drivers from writing, sending or reading text messages, emails...