An Ohio bill designed to curb the practice of texting while driving has just cleared one more hurdle.
The State Legislature voted today by a 82-12 margin to approve a ban of texting while driving throughout the entire state of Ohio. Any violations of this law would be considered a misdemeanor, and fines could reach as high as $150. However, if a city has a stricter law or steeper penalty for those persons who use their cellphone while driving, the local measure takes precedence.
If a person driving a vehicle is spotted texting and that person is under the age of 18, then he or she can be pulled over and slapped with a primary offense. However, it should be noted that, for all other drivers, texting will only be considered a secondary offense. What this means is that adult drivers can’t be pulled over for texting alone. They must also be committing some other offense that initiated their having to be pulled over. Only then can a citation be issued.
Although the legislation is widely supported, some worry that it will be hard for officers to make the distinction between teens and adults. The Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, for instance, say that they would have liked to see texting become a primary offense. Still, they support the measure because they think it’s a step in the right direction.
A non-profit organization dedicated to educating children about trucker safety is expanding its purview.
Trucker Buddy International has announced a program wherein truckers will be paired up with high schools in an effort to teach students at those high schools the importance of big rig safety. This program is going to be called Trucking Mentors.
This is the latest step by Trucker Buddy to positively impact safety along the highway and build a positive image of commercial drivers. The original Trucker Buddy program paired truckers with schools that taught children in the Kindergarten to eighth grade range. These truckers would be carefully screened and then allowed to regularly communicate with classrooms so that the kids could see what a trucker’s life is like.
This new program aims to take that one step further. Truckers that volunteer in the program can visit the high school they get paired with a couple times a year to talk about how to properly navigate the highway when in the vicinity of a big rig truck. A spokesperson for Trucker Buddy emphasized the need for teens who are in the process of getting their license to understand the responsibilities inherent in driving a vehicle.
I’m glad to see these kinds of programs as a car accident attorney in Ventura. It’s crucial that those driving for the first time learn about all possible aspects of highway safety. As a Ventura personal injury lawyer, I truly believe that education goes a long way toward preventing vehicular accidents.
A new survey sheds some light on the disturbing practice of texting while behind the wheel of car.
Following a poll of over 6,000 persons by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, it was discovered that 90% of people believe that texting or emailing while driving is an unsafe practice. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that these same people will voice their opinion when texting while driving happens in their presence. In fact, only half of all drivers older than 65 would say something to such a distracted driver, and an even more underwhelming 33% of passengers between the ages of 18 and 24 would speak up. These statistics come despite the fact that the poll also shows that these same young drivers were 300% more likely to report texting or emailing at the time of an accident.
To help combat this ever increasing problem, the Department of Transportation used the announcement of these findings as a way to also introduce a program known as the Distracted Driving Design Challenge. The DOT is tasking teens with coming up with some kind of catchy icon that shows distracted driving dangers and can be used on various social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
I find it quite sad as a personal injury attorney in Riverside that the practice of texting while driving continues to be an issue. Young drivers who have only recently gotten their license are in the biggest danger from such a practice, yet these statistics show that these are the very persons most often doing the texting. I hope as a Riverside car accident lawyer that these awareness campaigns work.
According to news sources, the California Highway Patrol in launching a new driving safety class targeting teenage drivers in cooperation with Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital.
The “Smart Start” initiative will focus on training newly licensed as well as future licensed teens on the best practices associated with safe driving. The courses will be offered to teenagers between the ages of 15 through 19. Parents wanting to participate in the classes will also be allowed to take part.
The course will focus on specific safety topics of particular importance, such as a drivers responsibilities as well as how to avoid collisions with vehicles on the roadway. The classes will feature CHP officers who have personally witnessed fatal accidents involving teenagers to speak about their experiences.
A CHP said that it hoped the program would offer increased safety on the roadway in a state that reportedly has the second highest rate of fatalities for drivers in the 15 to 20 age range.
To reserve a seat in the class, call (805) 967-1234.
As a personal injury lawyer Los Angeles, I deeply appreciate the efforts being made by authorities to ensure that our roads are safer for all who travel on them. I encourage drivers to pay attention to the road at all times. As a personal injury attorney Los Angeles, I hope that the conclusions of the research will lead to safer roads.
