In the State of North Dakota it is illegal to communicate via text (including things like emailing, texting, tweeting, etc.) while driving. Here’s the actual law, section 39-08-23 of the North Dakota Century Code: The law does ban any use of an electronic device by minors under the age of 18 (that’s section 39-08-24 of the code),…
Bill Would Tighten and Simplify North Dakota’s Distracted Driving Laws
Despite sensational media coverage and celebrity-backed advertising campaigns, distracted driving probably isn’t as big a problem as you think it is. According to data I collected last year, from 2010 to 2015 traffic accidents caused by distractions from electronic devices accounted for just 1.1 percent of all crashes in the state. Even in the distracted…
Distracted Driving In North Dakota Probably Isn't As Big A Problem As You Think
Recently reporter Robin Huebner wrote a story about a widow and a state lawmaker who are planning on pushing legislation next year which would dramatically increase the penalties for distracted driving in North Dakota. This was the headline: ‘A widow’s goal: ‘If you kill someone with your car, it should be a felony’ The widow…
Do We Really Need To Be Holding Mock Funerals In Our Schools?
This is ridiculous. Here’s the thing: Don’t drive distracted. Don’t be texting on your phone. Don’t spend too much time fiddling with your music or the radio. Don’t let that attractive jogger pull your eyes away from the road. It’s dangerous, and it’s not just your life you’re putting at risk. All that being said,…
ND Highway Patrol Trooper Involved In Wrong-Way Driving Incident Placed On Leave
Previously I broke a story about a North Dakota Highway Patrol Trooper who was involved in a distracted driving incident. He drove the wrong way down U.S. Highway 2 for more than four miles while talking on the phone to a commander back in January, but an investigation into the incident wasn’t started by the…
Our Texting While Driving Laws Are Absurd
Justin Ronald Jalbert will soon be on trial for manslaughter after hitting a bicyclist along a county road in Traill County, north of Fargo. Jalbert was allegedly texting while driving when he hit the bicyclist, and his attorney says that because of this Jalbert has been treated unfairly by the media. After all, laws against…
CDC Survey Seems To Undermine Idea That Texting While Driving Is An Epidemic
A week or so ago the Centers for Disease Control released the results of a survey looking at risky teen behaviors. What got headlines here in North Dakota is the fact that we have the second largest percentage of teenagers in the country who are guilty of texting or emailing while driving (second only to…
Man Found Guilty In Fatal Texting While Driving Crash Sentenced To…Mandatory Public Relations?
I think texting while driving as a threat to public safety has been grossly exaggerated, and the data seems to prove it. Cell phone use was a “contributing factor” (a rather broad definition, to be sure) in less than 1 percent of traffic crashes in North Dakota. Nationally, cell phone use was a factor in just…
North Dakota Texting While Driving Citations Cost Taxpayers Over $4,000 Each
Back in April I wrote about North Dakota law enforcement agencies engaging in “high intensity” enforcement of the state’s new prohibition on texting while driving. The effort, coinciding with Distracted Driving Awareness Month, was funded by a $459,000 grant from the federal government. What did the taxpayers get for the money? Just over 100 citations, costing…
Is Distracted Driving A Distraction For Law Enforcement?
Over at Watchdog.org, I have an article about the North Dakota law enforcement campaign against distracted driving which is being conducted because April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. What I found is that, despite the hype and tax dollars expended on cell phone use in cars, accidents in which phone use is a contributing factor…
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