Distracted driving is illegal everywhere, but as you learned in high school civics class, most of the laws that affect your daily life are state laws. Every state has its own version of distracted driving laws, just as it does with drunk driving, motorcycle helmets, and so many other things. You are used to the laws of your home state, so when you travel, you might be surprised to find out that something that is perfectly legal at home gets you a traffic ticket in your destination. Now that it is summer road trip season, there is hardly a better way to spend the time than a summer road trip across the Southwestern United States, where you chill in the air conditioning in your hotel room or lounge by the hotel pool during the day and drive in the evening, when the weather cools off. Even if you are just passing through New Mexico, New Mexico law applies in relation to insurance claims and lawsuits arising from car accidents that happened on New Mexican soil. If you were injured in a distracted driving accident while visiting New Mexico, contact a Santa Fe motor vehicle accident lawyer.
New Mexico Distracted Driving Laws
There is a nationwide trend toward stricter distracted driving laws, as smartphones increase their power to keep us distracted. Nearly a quarter of accidents involve smartphone distractions, making phones almost as dangerous as drunk driving. Pennsylvania recently became the latest state to follow this trend, now that it has implemented Paul Miller’s Law, pursuant to which distracted driving penalties apply even when the car is stopped at a red light.
New Mexico, like more than half of the states, has a no-touch rule regarding cell phone use while driving. In New Mexico, it counts as distracted driving if you touch your phone screen while operating a motor vehicle; this includes using your phone while your car is stopped at a red light. The legal way to interact with your phone while driving is to use voice-activated interactions or to connect your phone to your car’s navigation screen and to touch the navigation screen instead of the phone.
An exception to the rule about smartphone use while driving applies in emergencies. You are allowed to use your phone to call 911 in a medical emergency or other emergency, such as to report a car accident or a crime. The rules about using handheld communication devices are less strict for people who hold licenses to operate amateur radios. The penalty for a first-time distracted driving ticket is $25, and it is $50 for subsequent tickets, provided that there are no aggravating factors, such as an accident.
Contact Slate Stern About Personal Injury Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in car accidents caused by smartphone use and other forms of distracted driving. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
Sources
https://www.dntxtjustdrive.com/laws-penalties-1
Photo by Amir Hosseini on Unsplash