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Which States Punish Distracted Drivers Most?

POSTED: 4:13 pm EDT May 1, 2008
UPDATED: 6:55 pm EDT May 2, 2008

Drivers who talk on the phone, play with their GPS system, watch movies, shave or apply makeup while driving may want to start focusing on the road, suggests Forbes.com.

New Hampshire drivers who damage another vehicle or injure a pedestrian while engaged in an activity while driving can face a fine of up to $1,000 and may lose driving privileges for up to one year.

Peter M. Thomson, coordinator of New Hampshire's Highway State Agency, suggested that this law is a good deterrent to distracted, unsafe driving.

New Hampshire is leading the way for other states with the greatest fine and penalty structure for states with harsh laws aimed at distracted drivers.

About 80 percent of accidents occur within three seconds of some sort of driver inattention, according to the 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study, conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Cell phones top the list as the most used distraction, which has led to bans -- some in the works -- on using handheld cell phones in California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and Washington, D.C. These bans are only for handheld units; hands-free units are still permitted in these states, according to information from the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety.

Connecticut bans stretch beyond cell phone use. It also prohibits the use of other electronic devices, such as PDAs and music players, according to the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles. New Jersey law echoes that ban and also prohibits the act of text-messaging. Text-messaging has also been banned in Washington state, soon to be followed up by a July 1, 2009, ban on the use of all handheld cellphones while driving.

Utah prohibits many activities that have been deemed distracting. These include eating, drinking, smoking and "physically attending to a passenger." The maximum fine for these infractions is $50 and usually given in conjunction with another law-breaking activity.

None of the states completely bans the use of cell phones, but the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports that 17 states, including Washington, D.C., have restrictions on all cell phone use for teens 18 and under.

Luckily, no matter your age or location, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and AAA have published a handbook outlining state-by-state distracted-driving laws and cellphone bans.

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