Cell Phone Restrictions Update By City, State

Here’s a compendium of restrictions regarding cell phone use while driving, from a June 2 article in USA Today: In 2005, 37 states have debated new laws restricting drivers' use of cell phones, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Colorado, Delaware, Maryland and Tennessee banned cell phone use by young drivers this year and a similar ban in Illinois awaits the governor’s signature. Chicago banned all drivers from using hand-held cell phones in May. New York enacted the first such state law in 2001. New Jersey and Washington, D.C., have similar bans. Other state actions: •Nevada stiffened penalties for drivers who kill someone while using cell phones, putting on makeup or eating. •Virginia banned pornographic videos in vehicles if they can be seen by people outside the auto. •Several states, including Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi, have tried to prevent a crazy-quilt of regulations by prohibiting local governments from banning cell phones for drivers. The rush to enact legislation comes as research at the University of Minnesota and the University of Utah concludes that drivers talking on cell phones or fiddling with the car radio sometimes perform as poorly as drunken drivers.