Starting Tuesday, North Carolina drivers who text behind the wheel will need to pull over to avoid fines.
The new law makes it illegal to text or read any e-mail or text message while driving, and fines are higher for school bus drivers caught in the act. The new law does not cover the use of GPS systems or map software on cell phones.
But the law only applies to the driver while the vehicle is moving or idling at a traffic light, not when it's stopped or parked. Police officers and other safety officials are also exempt.
"I stop them because I believe they could be impaired and I found out if they were just trying to make a phone call or send a text message," explains state trooper Steve Myers.
"If you have your hand on your cell phone, typing a text message, then obviously you only have one hand on the steering wheel and you're only halfway paying attention to the road," he says.
The new law says drivers over the age of 18 can still talk on their mobile phones, check caller ID and pull up a phone number from the contacts menu. But there's clearly room for law enforcement officers to interpret your actions.
"If we see it, we'll have to use our own discretion," says Myers.
Elon University Law School Professor Steve Friedland says officers must have a good reason to stop you if they believe you're texting while driving. Doing so is a primary offense, which means it can be the only reason you're pulled over.
Friedland says driving is a privilege, not a right, and police could even ask to see your cell phone and calling records to determine if you've been texting or e-mailing.
"If the police believe that the law has not been complied with, you have to, in that way, honor your request," he says.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, nearly 6,000 people were killed and more than a half-million injured by distracted drivers in 2008.
More than a dozen states already ban texting while driving, and a South Carolina lawmaker has introduced similar legislation.
Another law that goes into effect Dec. 1 prohibits license plate frames from covering the state name or registration stickers.
Violators of each law are subject to a $100 fine, although officials said they intend to issue only warnings to license plate violators during the first year of the law. The fine won't result in points on your driver's license.
The new law makes it illegal to text or read any e-mail or text message while driving, and fines are higher for school bus drivers caught in the act. The new law does not cover the use of GPS systems or map software on cell phones.
But the law only applies to the driver while the vehicle is moving or idling at a traffic light, not when it's stopped or parked. Police officers and other safety officials are also exempt.
"I stop them because I believe they could be impaired and I found out if they were just trying to make a phone call or send a text message," explains state trooper Steve Myers.
"If you have your hand on your cell phone, typing a text message, then obviously you only have one hand on the steering wheel and you're only halfway paying attention to the road," he says.
The new law says drivers over the age of 18 can still talk on their mobile phones, check caller ID and pull up a phone number from the contacts menu. But there's clearly room for law enforcement officers to interpret your actions.
"If we see it, we'll have to use our own discretion," says Myers.
Elon University Law School Professor Steve Friedland says officers must have a good reason to stop you if they believe you're texting while driving. Doing so is a primary offense, which means it can be the only reason you're pulled over.
Friedland says driving is a privilege, not a right, and police could even ask to see your cell phone and calling records to determine if you've been texting or e-mailing.
"If the police believe that the law has not been complied with, you have to, in that way, honor your request," he says.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, nearly 6,000 people were killed and more than a half-million injured by distracted drivers in 2008.
More than a dozen states already ban texting while driving, and a South Carolina lawmaker has introduced similar legislation.
Another law that goes into effect Dec. 1 prohibits license plate frames from covering the state name or registration stickers.
Violators of each law are subject to a $100 fine, although officials said they intend to issue only warnings to license plate violators during the first year of the law. The fine won't result in points on your driver's license.
