Penalty for first-time distracted-driving ticket to increase
The law will reclassify the first offense as a moving violation. Currently, first-time offenders caught texting and driving are given a ticket that is classified as a nonmoving violation. That's the same kind of ticket a person would receive if they were pulled over for a taillight that wasn't functioning.
"Typically, in the industry, a driver will see an increase of 10 to 20 percent in their rates if convicted of a moving violation," Caldwell said.
The change for first-time offenders goes into effect
"With the increased use of technological devices, distracted driving has become a serious problem on the roads of our state and through the nation," said
In addition to having a moving violation on their driving record, people convicted of texting and driving also will face fines and court costs that will be determined by a judge. A driver convicted of three moving violations in a 12-month period is subject to a driver's license suspension, White's press release added.
According to the
Texting while driving is considered among the most deadly forms of distracted driving, with information from
"People of all ages text and drive. There is more of a concentration of younger people who text and drive," Kyrouac said.
Kyrouac added that even hands-free devices can be distracting.
"When you pick up the cellphone, even if it's hands free, it's still a distraction," Kyrouac said. "You lose your ability to focus on the primary task at the time, which is driving. We think we can multi-task, but we switch back and forth really quickly from one task to another. Driving, at some point, becomes secondary."
When driving is the secondary task, people can have problems reacting quickly to emergencies.
"If something sudden or unexpected happens where you need to make a quick reaction and judgment, and you are otherwise engaged, that's where a problem can occur," Kyrouac said.
Last year,
The number of accidents in
Sgt.
"We've had a lot of people pleading with us on traffic stops saying, "Do you have to write me this ticket. My insurance company treats it as a moving violation," Rhodes said.
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