February 4, 2015

PISCOPO: Please Don’t Text & Drive

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At any moment across America, approximately 660,000 drivers are using cell phones or electronic devices while driving, a number that has remained constant since 2010.
Do you text while you drive? If so, please consider this: Five seconds is the average time your eyes are off the road while texting. When traveling at 55mph, that’s enough time to cover the length of a football field blindfolded.

That’s a scary thought. Not as scary, however, as thinking of your loved ones – especially your children – doing the same. The reality is that it’s actually drivers in their 20s who make up 27 percent of the distracted drivers in fatal crashes.
In Connecticut, the following are Primary Laws (meaning an officer can ticket the driver for the offense without any other traffic violation taking place) in regards to driving:

Handheld ban for all drivers.
Ban on all cellphone use (handheld and hands-free) for bus drivers.
Ban on all cellphone use (handheld and hands-free) for novice drivers (drivers under the age of 18 or without a learner’s permit).
Ban on texting for all drivers.

Consequences for offending these laws include:

If a driver is stopped for using a handheld cell phone:

First offense: $125 fine.
Second offense: $250 fine.
Subsequent offenses: $400 fine.

Texting and driving:

First offense: $100 fine.
Second offense: $150 fine.
Third offense: $200 fine.

If a teen driver is ticketed for using a cell phone or text messaging the following penalties will be applied:

First offense: 30 day license suspension and a $125 license restoration fee plus court fines.
Second and all subsequent offenses: a 6 month suspension or until the teen driver reaches the age of 18, whichever is longer.$125 license restoration fee.
Court fines.

Please do not drive distracted. To avoid possible fatal consequences, try:

Abstaining (don’t use a cell phone while driving).
A speaker phone.
Use a bluetooth wireless device.
Use a wired headset.
Install a car kit (a more expensive proposition).

For more information, please visit:
http://www.drivinglaws.org/connlaw.php or click on the logo below.

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