skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, September 20, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Dozens of CA events this weekend honor Latino Conservation Week; Kamala Harris joins Oprah Winfrey in emotional campaign event; Report finds poor working conditions in Texas clean energy industry; AI puts on a lab coat, heads to technical schools.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

SD Beefs Up Cell-Phone Driving Law; Research on Bans is Mixed

play audio
Play

Friday, July 3, 2020   

PIERRE, S.D. - As of this week, South Dakota is now enforcing its new distracted-driving law. Despite tougher measures across the U.S, researchers say there's still a lot they don't know about reducing cell-phone use behind the wheel.

South Dakota's new law focuses on texting while driving. It's now a primary traffic violation, which means you can be pulled over.

Ian Reagan, senior research scientist at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, says most states have a distracted-driving law focusing on cell-phone use - but researchers haven't yet been able to clearly define how effective these laws are.

"It's really hard to really understand what the true nature of the problem is," says Reagan. "Because the phenomenon of distracted driving is - it's hard to study."

He says unlike DUI cases, law enforcement doesn't always have the legal tools to investigate cell-phone records, which some analysts say can be incomplete, even if they are obtained. So, Reagan believes crash data is under-reported.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported more than 2,800 distracted-driving fatalities in 2018. Only 385 were linked to cell-phone use.

In contrast to the unreliable crash data, Reagan says some research indicates these laws have been effective in changing drivers' behavior. He says overall data might become more conclusive as states adopt clear and consistent language in these laws.

"Rather than trying to ban specific behaviors, like saying you can't text with a phone," says Reagan, "we're starting to see laws that flat-out say you can't hold the phone."

Under South Dakota's new law, drivers who talk on the phone can either hold the device up to their ear, or use a hands-free mode.

Montana is the only U.S. state with no distracted-driving law on the books that deals with cell-phones. Missouri has a texting ban for drivers under 21, but no other phone-use restrictions.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Some 899 of 936 public comments on the plan for the proposed West Fork Dam, or 96%, opposed the West Fork Battle Creek Dam project, according to a tally by Wyofile. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

A federal agency is requiring Wyoming to update cost estimates for a large proposed dam in Carbon County, which has been under feasibility studies …


Social Issues

play sound

This Saturday marks the International Day of Peace and the advocacy group Nonviolent Peaceforce is kicking off a series of family-friendly events in M…

Environment

play sound

Latino Conservation Week is in full swing, with 330 events across the U.S. and 90 in California alone. The 11th annual event runs through Sunday…


Nebraska is one of 10 states to confirmed abortion-related constitutional amendment measures on the ballot in November. (Alcorn Imagery/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Some ballot initiatives this year have taken more than voter signatures to get onto the ballot in Nebraska. They've already withstood major court …

Environment

play sound

Maine officials are stepping up land conservation projects as climate change continues to alter the state's terrain. New funding from the Land for …

Social Issues

play sound

A new study showed as Texas has emerged as a national leader in wind turbine and solar energy installations, clean energy workers often face …

play sound

Students enrolled at Wisconsin's technical colleges this fall might take a course where artificial intelligence is the star of the classroom…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021