’)A surprisingly look at states with and without cell phone laws.
While many people automatically call a friend while driving, that’s about to change. More states are initiating cell phone bans while driving, and police officers are cracking down on violators. Consequences can be as light as a warning or as severe as a $100+ fine.
There are a few states that haven’t yet created laws against drivers talking on their cell phones. These include:
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Kentucky
- Indiana
- West Virginia
- Maryland
- Delaware
- New Hampshire
- Rhode Island
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Idaho
- Wyoming
- Colorado
- Utah
- Nevada
While these states do not currently have policies in place regarding cell phone usage while driving, they likely will soon.
Some states like Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, Minnesota, Arkansas and Louisiana have laws against minors and bus drivers using cell phones. Also on that list are: Illinois, Tennessee, Ohio, Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
A few states are currently deliberating on whether they need cell phone laws: North Dakota, Iowa and North Carolina. Currently only five states have laws banning cell phone use by drivers: California, Washington, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Fees associated with violating these laws range from $20 for a first offense in California to up to $124 in Washington. The other states’ fees are $50 to $100.
Getting Distracted on the Phone
Drivers are distracted no matter what kind of conversation they’re having on a cell phone while driving, but studies show that a casual conversation causes less distraction than placing a call. Next ranks changing the radio station while driving, and then the most distracting activity a driver can do while driving is engage in an intense conversation on a cell phone while driving.
Who’s Most Likely to Get into an Accident?
If you were to guess what age group would be most likely to get in an accident while talking on a cell phone, you might guess that the answer would be teenage drivers. Wrong! In fact, drivers over 50 are the most likely to get into an accident while talking on the phone. It might have something to do with the fact that teen and younger drivers have become accustomed to multitasking and can better handle talking while driving, while drivers over 50 focus on a single task and do it well. Talking on the phone increases their risk of an accident.
Whether your state has laws against cell phones while driving or not, it likely will soon enough. Be smart and turn off your phone while driving, or pull over to take an important call. No call is important enough to risk your life.
