Monday, 25 February 2013 08:47
Mo. texting while driving law nabs few violators
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - A 2009 Missouri law that bans young drivers from using their cell phones to send text messages has led to few citations and remains difficult to enforce, a Columbia newspaper reports.
The Columbia Missourian reports that an average of fewer than four people a month have received texting-while-driving tickets since the law was passed. Court records reviewed by the Missourian show that no one has been punished for violating the law in nearly half the state's 114 counties.
In Boone County, six of the seven people punished for breaking the law were fined $20.50. A seventh violator received the maximum $200 fine after also hitting a utility pole while texting.
Missouri's distracted driving laws are among the nation's most lenient. Ten states ban all hand-held cellphone use.
Published in
Local News
Wednesday, 13 February 2013 04:17
St. Louis lawmaker proposes ban on texting while driving for everyone
A state lawmaker from St. Louis wants Missouri drivers to stop texting while driving...all drivers.
Missouri law currently bans drivers under 21 from texting while driving, but not those who are older. Democratic State Rep. Michele Kratky has introduced a bill that would change that.
Kratky says that looking down to send a text message is unsafe for drivers of all ages
"It's almost like having a blindfold on while you're driving," Kratky said. "And I don't think that's very safe for the citizens of the state of Missouri."
Kratky's bill, HB 394, would allow for hand free texting.
Only 11 states still allow at least some drivers to text and drive.
Missouri law currently bans drivers under 21 from texting while driving, but not those who are older. Democratic State Rep. Michele Kratky has introduced a bill that would change that.
Kratky says that looking down to send a text message is unsafe for drivers of all ages
"It's almost like having a blindfold on while you're driving," Kratky said. "And I don't think that's very safe for the citizens of the state of Missouri."
Kratky's bill, HB 394, would allow for hand free texting.
Only 11 states still allow at least some drivers to text and drive.
Published in
Local News
Latest News
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
US LAUNCHES NEW BATCH OF GRAPHIC ANTI-SMOKING ADS
NEW YORK (AP) -- Government health officials launched the second round of a graphic ad campaign Thursday that is designed to get smokers off tobacco, saying they believe the last e...
UK STUDY: VIOLENCE MORE LIKELY AMONG VETS, TROOPS
LONDON (AP) -- Young men who have served in the British military are about three times more likely than civilians to have committed a violent offense, researchers reported Friday i...
Myriad languages, cultures challenge health reform
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - While new marketplaces are being created for buying health insurance, many states are facing cultural and language hurdles in trying to promote and explain t...
NEED SURGERY? GOOD LUCK GETTING HOSPITAL COST INFO
CHICAGO (AP) -- Want to know how much a hip replacement will cost? Many hospitals won't be able to tell you, at least not right away - if at all. And if you shop around and find ce...
OB/GYNS TOLD ROBOT HYSTERECTOMY NOT BEST OPTION
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Pricey robotic surgery shouldn't be the first or even second choice for most women who need a hysterectomy, says advice issued Thursday to doctors who help those...
US HOSPITALS SEND HUNDREDS OF IMMIGRANTS BACK HOME
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Days after they were badly hurt in a car accident, Jacinto Cruz and Jose Rodriguez-Saldana lay unconscious in an Iowa hospital while the American health ca...
LEAD POISONING TOLL REVISED TO 1 IN 38 YOUNG KIDS
NEW YORK (AP) -- Health officials say more than half a million young children are now believed to have lead poisoning in the United States. The figure is roughly twice the previ...
WOMEN HAVE NEW OPTIONS FOR BREAST CANCER SURGERY
CHICAGO (AP) -- Treating breast cancer almost always involves surgery, and for years the choice was just having the lump or the whole breast removed. Now, new approaches are dramat...
