If you’re driving through Dakota County today or in the coming weeks, you’ll want to put the cell phone and other distractions down. That’s because local police will be conducting a distracted driving crackdown, and they won’t be handing out warnings. This crackdown is a little different than some of the campaigns that police have […]
Distracted Driving Deaths Spike in Minnesota in 2015
We mentioned yesterday that violent crime spiked in Minnesota in 2015, but new data suggests that distracted driving deaths also experienced an uptick last year. According to the latest data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, distracted driving played a role in 74 traffic deaths last year, a 21 percent increase from 2014. Not […]
Texting and Driving Just Got Tougher in Minnesota
Drivers who text behind the wheel may find it more difficult to avoid a ticket as the Minnesota State Patrol has stepped up their game. The Minnesota State Patrol announced that they have added five new unmarked patrol cars to their arsenal that will hit the road today with a special goal of catching distracted […]
New Police Technology Can Identify Texting Drivers
Inattentive driving is cited as the cause in 1 in 4 auto accidents, but those who track the data suggest that distracted drivers likely cause more than 25 percent of accidents. One of the biggest distractions is the driver’s cell phone, and some states have passed legislation that prevents their use while driving, but that […]
Texting While Driving Part 2 of 2: Defenses
Welcome back to the second and final installment of Appelman Law Firm’s “Texting While Driving” blog series. Last week we outlined the Laws and Consequences of texting and driving in Minnesota. Now we’ll explore some of the issues with enforcing the law, and the possible defenses against a texting while driving criminal charge. Texting while […]
