You throw your phone into the passenger’s seat of your vehicle as you get into the driver’s seat without thinking much of it.
You have plans this evening of seeing friends at a local bar and have been texting them off and on for the past hour. They want to know when you’ll be meeting them and you’re getting tired of the back and forth messages between you.
You decide to go ahead to the bar to get the evening started. You hear the ring-tone of your phone in the seat next to you after a few moments. You glance at your phone’s screen to find that a new text message has come in from one of your friends.
You roll your eyes despite yourself as you bend over in your seat to grab your phone. You don’t think anything of it as you begin to type out a reply while still on the road.
You hear a police car’s siren behind you and you let out a groan loudly. What you don’t realize now is that you are being pulled over for distracted driving.
As the police officer explains this information to you, you begin to wonder what distracted driving means. Let’s take a deeper look into what distracted driving means and how you can have better driving habits.
“Examples of Distracted Driving”
Distracted driving can come in many forms these days. With smart-phones being so accessible to everyone on the road, it’s not difficult to become distracted.
There are quite a few ways your phone could provide a distraction while you’re driving. You could be looking at a text message or email you’ve received.
Perhaps you’re talking on the phone with someone and you’re focusing more on the conversation than your surroundings.
Are you visiting Facebook on your phone while waiting at a red light? What are you paying more attention to: Facebook or the traffic lights in front of you?
“Distracted Driving Laws”
Drivers under the age of eighteen are known in the state of North Carolina as “novice drivers”. These drivers are prohibited from using cell phones at all. Drivers over the age of eighteen can talk on their phones while driving.
However, drivers are banned from texting or emailing people while they are on the road. This is a primary law in the state of North Carolina, meaning you can get pulled over for this offense even if you haven’t committed any other traffic violations.
Novice drivers are fined $25 for the violation while adult drivers are fined up to $100 for the violation. GPS devices are exempt from this law, as are other voice-activated devices. You will not be ticketed if you have pulled over to answer any messages you receive.
“Safe Driving Practices”
There are some practices you can follow if you do receive messages while on the road. The most important practice is to wait until you reach your destination before you answer the message or take any phone calls.
If the matter is urgent, another thing you can do is pull over to the side of the road to answer the message. You don’t want to become distracted enough to cause a wreck between you and another driver.
When you are pulled over for distracted driving, the police officer pulling you over is thinking of your best interest. Following these safe practices can save your life and the lives of others on the road.
Greenville, NC Personal Injury Attorneys
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