NEVADA CARES ABOUT ITS PEOPLE, TOO
Well, it seems that the state of Nevada is a little more
progressive than a lot of people give it credit for. On January 1 of this year,
Nevada became only the 10th U.S. state to pass a state law
prohibiting the use of hand-held cell
phones while driving. The law also
applies to TEXTING while driving.
NEVADANS BEWARE: The
police are out in full force and thousands of Nevadans have already been
ticketed. Hundreds of warnings were
issued for the last 3 months of last year to help prepare people for the new
law. But now that 2012 is off and
running, enforcement is strict and police are citing those who ignore the law.
Keep in mind that you may still talk using a hands-free
headset and are allowed to touch the phone to “activate, deactivate or initiate
a feature or function on the device.”
However, anything beyond that has been deemed dangerous and you will be
cited for doing so. The Office of
Traffic Safety reports that the Las Vegas Metropolitan police issued a staggering
2,261 tickets just in the first quarter of this year. An additional 1,645 tickets were issued by
the Nevada Highway Patrol’s northern command.
All in all – this is having a significant impact on Nevadan’s wallets
and driving records.
The fines are:
$50 - for the first
offense in seven years
$100 - for the second
$250 - for the third
and subsequent offenses
Fines are DOUBLED if the offense takes place in a work zone!
The only good news is that the FIRST offense is not treated
as a moving violation for DMV and insurance purposes. But after the first violation…you’re out of
luck and your finances could take an additional hit due to insurance increases.
HINT: According to authorities, cellphone use while at a
stoplight is the NUMBER ONE violation of the new law.
While we all may feel like this new law provides us less
freedom, the ultimate goal is to save lives.
Here are just a few scary statistics:
• A recent study identified talking on a cell
phone while behind the wheel as roughly equivalent to having consumed two
strong drinks of alcohol.
• About
6,000 deaths and a half a million injuries are caused by distracted drivers
every year.
• Talking
on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver’s reaction time as slow
as that of a 70-year-old.
• Answering
a text takes away your attention for about five seconds. That is enough time to
travel the length of a football field.
• Almost
50% of all drivers between the ages of 18 and 24 are texting and driving.
So while the law is an adjustment, it just proves that
Nevada cares about its people. It will
take a little adjustment, but really it shouldn’t be that hard. Get yourself an inexpensive earphone or think
about having your vehicle wired with a hands-free device that uses your vehicle’s
own stereo system as the speakers.
Nevada joins California, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland,
New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Washington, and West Virginia – along with Guam,
the Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. in passing this type of legislation.
Isn’t it about time?
Shouldn’t all states jump on board?
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