North Carolina has become only 1 of 15 states in the nation to ban texting while driving. While this will hopefully avoid some of what the above cartoon implies, the N&O points out that there are still a few potentially flawed holes in the legislature. $100 sounds like a slap on the wrist and is essentially equal to running a red light, which drivers do daily. #legislaturefail
Violation of the texting ban is a $100 infraction, but with no insurance points and nothing on your driving record. The new laws include exceptions and make clear that it is still legal for drivers to engage in plenty of dangerous, distracting practices.
Drivers are explicitly allowed to check numbers and Caller ID names on cell phones. It’s legal to play with GPS navigation gizmos, consult traffic and weather update gadgets, check audio-system displays and gaze at video screens “that enhance the driver’s view in any direction, inside or outside of the vehicle.”
What else can we drivers get away with, besides yakking on the phone?
There’s nothing in the law that says we can’t read a magazine or stir our coffee. If we feel like it, we’re free to make a shopping list, tie our shoes and adjust our makeup as we career down the highway.
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