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 […]
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 […]
Texting While Driving Part 1 of 2: Laws & Consequences
In late summer 2008, Governor Tim Pawlenty signed into Minnesota law a bill making it illegal to text while driving. The official statute states that “no person may operate a motor vehicle while using a wireless communications device to compose, read, or send an electronic message, when the vehicle is in motion or a part […]
