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  • 2019-01-14 (xsd:date)
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  • Do Motorists Now Face $999 Fines and 3-Year Suspensions for Using Cellphones While Driving? (en)
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  • A viral message on Facebook claimed that motorists caught using (or even holding) their cell phones while driving would be fined $999 and face 3-year license suspensions due to a new law implemented at the start of 2019: This message was lacking some important details, such as where this law was supposedly implemented. Although a number of states and countries have started cracking down on distracted driving through the passage of related laws, they do not all specify the same punitive measures for violations of those laws. This Facebook post appears to be referencing the new distracted driving laws implemented in Ontario, Canada, at the start of 2019, but message still managed to fudge a few details of that law. For instance, drivers in Ontario could face three-day (not three-year) license suspensions if caught using their mobile phones while driving. The size of attendant fines also varies depending on factors such as the type of license an offending driver holds, the length of time they've been driving, the number of previous violations, and whether they choose to fight the ticket in court. Here are some of the details about Ontario's new law from Ontario.ca: We could not find any laws on the books in any jurisdiction that would result in both a $999 fine and a three-year license suspension for those ticketed for distracted driving. However, we did find some other locations that levy fines of $1000 upon distracted drivers. Using a cellphone while driving in Oregon, for instance, can lead to a maximum fine of $1000 on the first offense. Repeat offenders can also be sentenced to jail time: In states such as Illinois, the fines start relatively low (at about $75 for a first time offense) but increase dramatically if the incident results in death or bodily harm: There is no universal texting and driving law. If you're curious about the distracted driving laws in your area, it's best to get your information from a government website and not a social media post. (en)
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