2013

In recent years, the city of San Francisco sought to blaze a safety trail with the passage of a law that required cellphone retailers to explain to consumers the potential radiation danger they were put in when they purchased a cellular device.  Specifically, every purchase of a cellphone would have required the disclosure of radiation… read more

The Government Accountability Office has released a report stating that cellphone radiation standards need to be updated.  It has been 15 years since limits were first implemented, and technology has evolved since that time.  Currently, federal standards as mandated by the FCC don’t take into account longterm exposure, the effect on children, and they let… read more

It is no longer illegal to briefly handle or touch your cellphone while driving your car in Ontario. A provincial court justice has ruled that holding a cellphone requires more than just touching or briefly picking up the device while behind the wheel of your car. This finding overturned a ruling by a Justice of… read more

Text messaging is becoming continually more widespread in the United States, a trend many law enforcement offers across the country view as cause for concern. In 2011, Americans read or composed approximately 196 billion text based messages, a figure marking a 50 percent increase from 2009. In response to the increasing prevalence of text messaging,… read more

More than 60,000 citations were issued to California motorists during the state’s Distracted Driving Awareness public safety campaign, which took place throughout the month of April. Of these distracted driving tickets, approximately 57,000 of the citations were issued for violations of the state’s ban on handheld cellphone use while driving. The increased enforcement of distracted… read more

While traffic safety experts are increasingly warning of the dangers caused by distracted drivers, automakers are continually announcing new high tech features that allow drivers to connect to Wi-Fi internet and social networking platforms from behind the wheel. Car manufacturers including Nissan, Volkswagen, Ford, and General Motors are offering Wi-Fi connecting devices allowing in car… read more

Beginning in May, teenage drivers face the deadliest 100 days of the year for young motorists, and according to safety experts, text messaging and other cellphone related distractions are at least partially responsible. In the time between Memorial Day Weekend and Labor Day, teenage drivers face a greater risk of being involved in a fatal… read more

April was declared National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and in response, law enforcement officials throughout the state of California launched increased enforcement campaigns designed to emphasize the state’s law banning all forms of communication using a handheld electronic device, including both text and voice communications, while behind the wheel of a moving vehicle on public… read more

Though approximately 80 percent of the young drivers responding to a Consumer Reports distracted driving survey agreed that using a handheld communication device for text based messaging or internet access while operating a moving vehicle is extremely dangerous, nearly three in ten survey respondents reported sending or receiving a text message while behind the wheel… read more

According to a recent safety study released by the California Office of Traffic Safety, 11 percent of the drivers observed at various times of day at 130 various intersections across 17 counties in the state of California, were practicing cellphone related distracted driving habits.  This figure marks an increase of four percent from the results… read more

Legislation recently passed by the Ohio state Senate would prohibit drivers from engaging in text based messaging while operating a motor vehicle. Teens cited for violating the new prohibition, if it is signed into law by the state’s governor, will face stricter penalties than adults. Under the state’s proposed legislation, drivers younger than 18 years… read more

The state of Pennsylvania recently passed legislation prohibiting motorists from sending and receiving text messages while driving, but state law enforcement officials are having trouble enforcing the new law. Three of the most populous municipalities in Pennsylvania’s West Shore region — East Pennsboro and Upper and Lower Allen — haven’t ticketed a single driver for… read more