Law bans videos, texting for Drivers
OMG quit texting while u drive!!
No, seriously. It's about to be illegal in Alaska.
Gov. Sarah Palin signed a new law Monday that bans drivers from sending text messages or watching videos.
The new rules take effect Sept. 1 and are meant to curb accidents caused by distracted motorists. The crime is a misdemeanor unless you hurt or kill someone in an accident. Then it's a felony.
"We hopefully will make it very clear that we want people to be concentrating on their driving," said Rep. Max Gruenberg, an Anchorage Democrat who proposed the new law along with Rep. Carl Gatto, R-Palmer.
The push to outlaw DVD viewing while driving dates back to 2002, when a driver collided with another vehicle on the Seward Highway. The crash killed Anchorage couple Robert and Donna Weiser.
The motorist -- accused of watching the movie "Road Trip" while at the wheel -- was later acquitted of second-degree murder, manslaughter and criminally negligent homicide. Jurors said they weren't convinced he was watching a video.
Marty Weiser is Robert and Donna's son. He attended the trial in 2002 and went to the bill signing Monday at Congregation Beth Shalom, where his parents were each past synagogue presidents.
Weiser said he's also not certain the driver was watching a movie but said the new ban had to happen.
"Would it have saved my parents' life? You never know, but hopefully it saves others," he said.
Gruenberg's chief of staff, Deneen Tuck, explained the new rules. Basically, you won't be allowed to watch anything on a video screen, with a few exceptions. It'll be OK to:
* Talk to someone on your cell phone.
* Glance at your global positioning system display.
* Play videos to entertain the kids, as long as the screen is out of the driver's line of sight.
Among the things you can't do:
* Peck out a text message.
* Watch a DVD on your laptop or portable video player.
The details may end up being decided case-by-case as gadgets rapidly evolve with new features, Gruenberg said.
Rep. Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, said that like the seat belt law, it might be hard for police to tell from a distance if people are following the new distracted-driving rules.
"I don't know how enforceable it is," Chenault said.
The new law does prohibit drivers from sending or receiving e-mails with a handheld "smart phone" like a BlackBerry, Tuck said.
Like many politicians, the governor is never far from her own BlackBerrys. She's got two. The governor said Monday that she doesn't e-mail while driving, however.
"But I have used a cell phone many times while I'm driving, and it's probably not a good thing to do," she said.
Six states have banned driving while talking on hand-held cell phones, according to the nonprofit Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. And the same goes for Alaska's Army posts and Air Forces bases too: You can only use hands-free phones.
Asked whether she'd support a similar ban on traditional cell phone use while driving, Palin said she'd have to talk it over with lawmakers.
Gruenberg said he doesn't think Alaska's ready for that yet.
At least he wasn't watching "Collision Course"
No comments:
Post a Comment