Frank
09-01-2008, 10:32 PM
I would have been all for including reading text messages in this, although they specifically excluded them. I see more and more folks texting and reading texts while I am driving and riding.
I watched a car blow through a red light at an intersection this afternoon while the texting device and both of her hands and, evidently, attention, were on top of her steering wheel. No wreck, but only because no other cars were coming.
===============
Texting drivers now face jail time
NEW LAW: Typing on road is as penalized as first DUI.
By MEGAN HOLLAND
mholland@adn.com
Anchorage Daily News
(09/01/08 00:01:46)
Drivers will have to take their thumbs off their phones and put them back on the steering wheel while cruising down Alaska roads starting today when a ban on text messaging while driving begins.
Drivers are still able to read messages on their phones, BlackBerry's and iPhones, but it is a crime to write messages.
The new law also says Alaska drivers are prohibited from watching video while driving.
Alaska joins four other states in barring the latest driver-distraction phenomenon.
Like Alaska's seat belt law, it is considered a primary offense, so an officer could pull a driver over if he thinks the driver is punching away on an electronic device. But unlike other traffic violations, like the seat belt law, which could result in a fine and points off a license, driving while texting could land a driver in jail.
Texting behind the wheel is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and one year in jail. It is the same first-time offense punishment as driving under the influence -- although DUIs have minimum sentencing requirements and the texting law does not.
If a driver hurts or kills someone or causes a crash that kills someone, the offense is ratcheted up to a felony.
"This is designed to save lives," said Anchorage Democrat Rep. Max Gruenberg, a sponsor of the bill with Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer.
Gruenberg said he considered pushing a ban on hand-held cell phone use altogether but met with immediate resistance from other legislators.
THE LATEST TREND
The impetus for the law stems from a 2002 crash when a driver collided with another vehicle on the Seward Highway, killing Anchorage couple Robert and Donna Weiser. The driver was accused of watching a DVD while driving. He denied it and was later acquitted.
Lawmakers in several states are trying to keep up with multitasking drivers by prohibiting cell phone use.
A 2007 study by Nationwide Mutual Insurance estimated that three out of four drivers use phones while driving, and one out of five text while behind the wheel.
In May 2007, Washington became the first state to ban texting while driving. Since then, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, and now Alaska have followed suit.
In California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Washington, Utah and the District of Columbia drivers cannot talk on a hand-held phone -- they can gab away on their phones at highway speeds if they use ear pieces.
Other states restrict certain cell phone use, such as by novice drivers or school bus drivers.
No states ban cell phone use outright.
DANGEROUS DISTRACTION
Drivers have long been doing more than just driving behind the wheel, safety experts say.
Harry Buccilli has been teaching driver's education for 30 years and owns AA Driver's Educational School in Anchorage. He says if a driver is trying to do something else in the car, whether it be drinking a cup of coffee, combing his hair or looking at a map, there's usually a two to three second recovery time before the driver can refocus on the road. When a driver is going 60 mph, he can't afford to lose that cushion when an accident is unfolding, he said.
"You're not supposed to be doing nothing but drive a car," he said. "That's what's wrong with driving nowadays."
"We do everything but drive the car. We talk to the person next to us. We turn the radio. We B.S. with people in the car. You have everything else going on."
"People are just lackadaisical about driving," he said.
He hopes this law raises awareness of not just distractions like texting but all of the distractions that can lead to accidents.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study says drivers 16 to 24 years old are the most likely to use electronic devices while on the road. In 2007, 9 percent were observed in the act.
At the University of Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, several young drivers said they welcomed the new law but didn't want all-out cell phone use banned for drivers.
Luke Nicholson, 20, said he thought it was a good law. "I used to do a lot of texting while driving and almost got into a few accidents."
"People really need to concentrate," he said.
Derek Chalifour, 19, said he's only really started texting in February. He says he only really does it when stopped at a red light. "The idea of the law would make the roads safer," he said. He's not sure he sees it being implemented though.
I watched a car blow through a red light at an intersection this afternoon while the texting device and both of her hands and, evidently, attention, were on top of her steering wheel. No wreck, but only because no other cars were coming.
===============
Texting drivers now face jail time
NEW LAW: Typing on road is as penalized as first DUI.
By MEGAN HOLLAND
mholland@adn.com
Anchorage Daily News
(09/01/08 00:01:46)
Drivers will have to take their thumbs off their phones and put them back on the steering wheel while cruising down Alaska roads starting today when a ban on text messaging while driving begins.
Drivers are still able to read messages on their phones, BlackBerry's and iPhones, but it is a crime to write messages.
The new law also says Alaska drivers are prohibited from watching video while driving.
Alaska joins four other states in barring the latest driver-distraction phenomenon.
Like Alaska's seat belt law, it is considered a primary offense, so an officer could pull a driver over if he thinks the driver is punching away on an electronic device. But unlike other traffic violations, like the seat belt law, which could result in a fine and points off a license, driving while texting could land a driver in jail.
Texting behind the wheel is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine of up to $5,000 and one year in jail. It is the same first-time offense punishment as driving under the influence -- although DUIs have minimum sentencing requirements and the texting law does not.
If a driver hurts or kills someone or causes a crash that kills someone, the offense is ratcheted up to a felony.
"This is designed to save lives," said Anchorage Democrat Rep. Max Gruenberg, a sponsor of the bill with Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer.
Gruenberg said he considered pushing a ban on hand-held cell phone use altogether but met with immediate resistance from other legislators.
THE LATEST TREND
The impetus for the law stems from a 2002 crash when a driver collided with another vehicle on the Seward Highway, killing Anchorage couple Robert and Donna Weiser. The driver was accused of watching a DVD while driving. He denied it and was later acquitted.
Lawmakers in several states are trying to keep up with multitasking drivers by prohibiting cell phone use.
A 2007 study by Nationwide Mutual Insurance estimated that three out of four drivers use phones while driving, and one out of five text while behind the wheel.
In May 2007, Washington became the first state to ban texting while driving. Since then, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, the District of Columbia, and now Alaska have followed suit.
In California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Washington, Utah and the District of Columbia drivers cannot talk on a hand-held phone -- they can gab away on their phones at highway speeds if they use ear pieces.
Other states restrict certain cell phone use, such as by novice drivers or school bus drivers.
No states ban cell phone use outright.
DANGEROUS DISTRACTION
Drivers have long been doing more than just driving behind the wheel, safety experts say.
Harry Buccilli has been teaching driver's education for 30 years and owns AA Driver's Educational School in Anchorage. He says if a driver is trying to do something else in the car, whether it be drinking a cup of coffee, combing his hair or looking at a map, there's usually a two to three second recovery time before the driver can refocus on the road. When a driver is going 60 mph, he can't afford to lose that cushion when an accident is unfolding, he said.
"You're not supposed to be doing nothing but drive a car," he said. "That's what's wrong with driving nowadays."
"We do everything but drive the car. We talk to the person next to us. We turn the radio. We B.S. with people in the car. You have everything else going on."
"People are just lackadaisical about driving," he said.
He hopes this law raises awareness of not just distractions like texting but all of the distractions that can lead to accidents.
A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study says drivers 16 to 24 years old are the most likely to use electronic devices while on the road. In 2007, 9 percent were observed in the act.
At the University of Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, several young drivers said they welcomed the new law but didn't want all-out cell phone use banned for drivers.
Luke Nicholson, 20, said he thought it was a good law. "I used to do a lot of texting while driving and almost got into a few accidents."
"People really need to concentrate," he said.
Derek Chalifour, 19, said he's only really started texting in February. He says he only really does it when stopped at a red light. "The idea of the law would make the roads safer," he said. He's not sure he sees it being implemented though.