My father’s advice was if a trooper approaches you, put your hands on the steering wheel to stay out of trouble. Now, if you want to keep out of trouble, you may have to grab the steering wheel all the time.

The one-year grace period for the new distracted driving law is nearly over. Starting in June, law enforcement will begin issuing tickets. Here is the bottom line: you cannot hold a cell phone while driving in our state. If you do, those blue lights can be for you.

The new law tries to reduce a severe problem. Distracted driving (that is what happens when you are texting or googling while driving) is blamed for roughly 7% of all traffic deaths in our state. And more, it is likely the cause of thousands of other traffic accidents.

If caught, the fines range from $50 to $150, plus points on your driving record. But the fine is not the point. The point is living to get to your destination.

I predict that you will see fewer videos taken by drivers while driving. Why? If your friends can see the post, so can law enforcement. Plus, other information on the page can lead them to exactly where you live or work.

If you want to be maimed, disfigured, and suffer from a brain injury just to amuse people you don’t know … well, there is not much I can say. I would ask you to think of those innocent people you may hit.

Now, I am not for telling you how to get around the new law, but law enforcement must first see you doing something else illegal to be able to write that ticket. What can I say? The law is full of oddities.

If you are injured in a traffic accident or suffer any other personal injury , such as an on-the-job injury, nursing home neglect incident, slip-and-fall, or boating accident, you can talk to us at the law firm of Steele Ritchie for free. We genuinely want to help. We are local attorneys with decades of experience helping people, especially in the southwest Mobile area. Give us a call at (251) 666-1212.

Allen Ritchie

Alabama Personal Injury Lawyer

The post Put Your Hands on The Wheel Has New Meaning in Alabama first appeared on Steele Ritchie.