Maine Stiffens Penalties for Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is a huge highway safety issue for truck drivers. Truckers are constantly put into precarious situations when drivers on our nation’s highways and bridges pay attention to texts, calls and even GPS units in their cars. The end result is thousands of accidents a  year, many fatal, and even more unfortunately, many blamed on truckers who weren’t the primary cause of the wreck. Maine’s governor, Paul LePage is out to change that.

As U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood calls for a federal law to ban cellphone use and texting while driving for operators of all vehicles, a new law in Maine gets tough with people, young and old, who drive distracted.

Gov. Paul LePage signed into law a bill to address concerns about the high number of teen deaths in the state in recent months. It includes a provision that affects all drivers.

The new law lengthens the amount of time that the state’s youngest drivers have limited driving privileges. Fines for certain offenses will also carry heftier punishment.

Find out more about what the fines are and how they’re classified at Land Line Magazine Online.