Illinois, Oregon and New Hampshire are the latest states to ban texting while driving. The bans went into effect at the beginning of the year for all three states, bringing the total number of states banning texting while driving to 19, plus Washington D.C. and Guam. In Wisconsin, the Senate passed a ban in 2009 but the Assembly has yet to act. (The Full Article in The Cap Times)
New York also recently enacted a ban on texting while driving. The new New York law forbids the use of mobile devices for reading, typing and sending text messages while driving. The ban on texting while driving comes with fines up to $150. It was already illegal in New York to talk on a cell phone while driving. The U.S. Transportation Department reported that 5,870 people were killed and 515,000 were injured last year in crashes connected to driver distraction, often involving mobile devices or cell phones. (From the November 2009 National Traffic Safety Institute Newsletter. (www.ntsi.com))
