Increased Penalties for Cell Phone Use While Driving

Your drivers may not realize that many states have increased penalties for Talking or Texting on a hand-held device. Some require a court appearance in lieu of paying a fee. This could disrupt your operations greatly and incur unnecessary expenses for your driver. As an example, note the law for NJ as of July 1, 2014:

Effective Tuesday, July 1, 2014, NJ’s new state law increases the fines and other penalties for first, second and subsequent convictions of talking on a hand-held wireless telephone or texting a message with a hand-held wireless electronic communication device while driving. Prior to July 1, the fine for a violation was $100. However, effective July 1, the first offense is now $200-$400, $400-$600 for a second offense and $600-$800 for third and subsequent offenses. The statute is now non-payable and requires a court appearance.

To learn more about changing cellular use penalties and how to ensure your drivers are informed and in compliance, contact us.

For additional information and state by state breakdowns, please view:

Texting and Cell Rules by State

Federal Texting & Mobile Phone Restrictions for Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers