September is new legislation month. Several states will be implementing tougher laws for hand-held electronic devices, DUI/DWI, Teen Licensing and insuring teens. This should not come as any surprise to you. We have been posting for several weeks about the attention being drawn to distracted drivers. We have even posted about the teen driver problem and our views of DUI/DWI. Harmony stays up to date on these issues and many others. We pass this on to our site visitors and blog followers to keep you informed and educated. Driving is a hot topic with our current administration and each state has began implementing legislation to deter bad driving habits. Loss of life and property is becoming an all to frequent occurrence, due to bad drivers. Twelve states are upping the severity of fines and consequences for hand-held device use. To get more info on which states these are click here.
DUI/DWI has always been a severe problem on the highways. With an estimated 48% of all traffic fatalities being related to an impaired driver, the laws have got be stricter overall and more severe if the impaired person is underage. Drinking and driving is absolutely an unacceptable practice and violators should be punished severely. Twenty-one states are tightening up in this area. Is your state one? click here.
The next topic the law addresses is the teen driver. Graduated Drivers Licenses (GDL)
have been in place in some states for many years, but recently more have come on board. Seventeen states have made changes to their laws regarding the teen driver and how they are to be licensed and insured. Click here to see which ones. Teen drivers pose a certain risk simply because of their inexperience and "bulletproof" attitude. Teens who chose to drive impaired by either drugs or alcohol, increase their chances of being involved in a fatality collision, by 105%!! Parents are, the ultimate responsible party, in these situations and should do whatever it takes to ensure their young drivers are properly trained to get behind the wheel. Teens dying in auto collisions is a sad and in most cases a preventable event. Proper instruction and parental guidance are key to reducing the risk.
When states implement new laws, they sometimes have, what are known as, enforcement periods. States may give violators 90-120 days before they begin prosecuting the changes to the laws. This does NOT mean, you will NOT be stopped for the violation, but you may only receive a warning citation. After the "grace period", be prepared to explain yourself. Law enforcement usually needs this period also to acclimate themselves to the changes and become more familiar with the new laws. Courts also need this time to update their systems and hold council meetings to decide fine amounts for the new violations. Even Judges appreciate the chance to brush up.
Harmony will continue to keep you informed of the changes in laws. It's our goal to have all drivers aware of the things affecting their everyday commutes. We hope you review the changes for your state and learn the implementation process for them. It would be a simple summary to say that if you are new driver you're affected, a poor decision maker and drive impaired you're affected and if you use a hand-held communicator you are the hot target! So, learn to drive safely, DON'T DRINK and DRIVE and pull over or wait till you ARE NOT in a car to make that phone call or send that message.
Thanks for reading and please use good common sense when driving. You don't want to be the one that triggers a change in the law.
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