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Texting while driving is not only a dangerous act which leads to any fatal and non-fatal crashes each year, it can also lead to expensive tickets, affect your license points, and increase our insurance rates. In some cases, however, these consequences can be avoided.
While you should avoid texting while driving all together, mistakes and emergencies happen. If you find yourself ticketed for texting while driving, this guide will help you learn all of the necessary information you may need and help you understand how to best fight a texting while driving ticket.
What is Texting and Driving?
Texting and driving is an infraction which falls under distracted driving. Distracted driving is defined by the United States Department of Transportation (USDT) as “that diverts attention from driving,” and this includes texting, calling, eating, applying makeup, or even looking away from the road.
Texting and driving represents a significant portion of distracted driving. It is all the more dangerous considering that we do not realize how long we are distracted for, even if it is just to send a one-word text message. According to the NHTSA, the average time taken to read or write a text message is 5 seconds, which at 55 mph is equivalent to driving the length of a football field blind.
The number of texting while driving accidents has significantly increased in the past two decades as a growing number of people nation-wide have cell phones. As of 2020, a reported 97% of Americans have a cell phone. As this number grows, so does the dependency people have to their phones, making them more susceptible to text while on the road.
What Percentage of Accidents Are Caused by Texting Drivers?
The Center of Disease Control (CDC) reports that in the United States an average of 8 people per day are killed due to distracted driving. Distracted driving accounts for any visual, manual, or cognitive distraction which can lead to dangerous, and sometimes fatal, accidents.
It is reported that 26% of car crashes are due to cell phone usage, making texting one of the leading causes of distracted driving. It is reported the risk of getting into a crash increases by three times if a driver is texting. The increase of risk is most notable with teens or young adult drivers, who reportedly respond to at least one text message each time while driving.
In 2019, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that 13% of distracted affected crashes involved cell phone usage. The percentage of texting while driving accidents is highest within the 15 to 20 and 21 – 24 age groups. Anyone can be involved in a texting while driving crash, however, and it only takes a few minutes with your eyes off the road to become a culprit of a severe crash with another car, pedestrian, or any kind of infrastructure around you.
States With No Prohibitions on Texting While Driving
As of today, there is no nation-wide ban on texting while driving. All prohibitions are determined by state and local laws. In fact, there is no state which has a total cell phone usage ban. However, nearly all states have state-wide bans on texting while driving.
According to the National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) there are 48 states with texting while driving prohibitions, along with D.C., Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The only state without any all-drivers laws banning cell phone usage is Missouri, although it is in place for drivers under 21 years of age.
The NCSL reports that the American Automobile Association found that a majority of distracted driving caused by teenage drivers is due to handling electronics. That being said, texting while driving incidents are found in all age groups.
Most Expensive Texting Tickets by State
The price of a texting while driving ticket depends on the state it is issued in. The most expensive tickets are issued in Oregon, Utah, and Alaska, while the cheapest are in New Mexico, South Carolina, and California. This table will go through the most expensive tickets by state, as well as the points at risk for each.
It is also important to note that this list represents the highest ticket you can receive in each state. In certain cases, there is a range of ticket pricing, and the exact fine will depend on the context and the person issuing the ticket.
For more information on the exact consequences you will face in each state for a texting while driving infraction, you can look up the violation number or code section located on the right-hand column. That said, it is a lot of complicated and nuanced legal writing, so speaking with a professional lawyer may help you better understand what each section details.
| State | Price Per Ticket | Points | Violation Number |
| Oregon | $1,000 | 0 | O.R.S.§ 811.507 |
| Utah | $750 | 5 | UT Code § 41-6a-1716 (2) |
| Alaska | $500 | 2 | AK § 28.35.161 |
| Indiana | $500 | 10 | IN § 9-21-8-59 |
| Louisiana | $500 | 0 | LA Rev Stat § 32:300.5 |
| New Jersey | $400 | 0 | NJ Rev Stat § 39:4-97.3 |
| Wisconsin | $400 | 0 | WI ST § 346.89 |
| Colorado | $300 | 4 | C.R.S § 42-4-239 |
| Hawaii | $250 | 0 | HI Rev Stat § 291C-137 |
| Maine | $250 | 2 | 29-A MRS §2119 |
| Minnesota | $225 | 0 | MN § 169.475 |
| Missouri | $200 | 0 | V.A.M.S. § 304.820 |
| Nebraska | $200 | 2 | NE Revised Statute § 60-6,179.01 |
| New York | $200 | 5 | NY VTL § 1225-d |
| Vermont | $200 | 3 | 23 V.S.A. § 1099 |
| Arizona | $150 | 3 | AZ § HB2318 |
| Georgia | $150 | 1 | GA § 40-6-241.2 |
| Ohio | $150 | 4 | OH § 4511.204 |
| Washington | $136 | 0 | RCW § 46.61.672 |
| Connecticut | $125 | 2 | CT Gen Stat § 14-296aa |
| Virginia | $125 | 0 | VA § 46.2-1078.1 |
| Massachusetts | $100 | 2 | MA § 90-8M |
| Michigan | $100 | 2 | MCL § 257.602b(1) |
| Mississippi | $100 | 2 | Ms § 63-33-1 |
| North Carolina | $100 | 0 | NC § 20-137.4A |
| North Dakota | $100 | 5 | ND Code 39-08-23 |
| New Hampshire | $100 | 3 | NH s. 265:105-a |
| Oklahoma | $100 | 0 | OK Stat § 47-11-901d |
| South Dakota | $100 | 2 | SD § 32-26-47 |
| West Virginia | $100 | 4 | WV § 17C-14-15 |
| Texas | $99 | 2 | TX s. 545.4251 |
| Idaho | $85 | 0 | ID s. 49-1401A |
| Rhode Island | $85 | 0 | RI Gen L § 31-22-30 |
| Illinois | $75 | 0 | IL s. 12-610-2 |
| Wyoming | $75 | 0 | WY Stat § 31-5-237 |
| Maryland | $70 | 1 | MD Code § 21-1124.1 |
| Kansas | $60 | 0 | KS 8-15-111 |
| Arkansas | $50 | 2 | AR Code § 27-51-1607 |
| Delaware | $50 | 0 | DE Code § 4176C |
| Nevada | $50 | 6 | NRS 484B.165 |
| Pennsylvania | $50 | 3 | Pa.C.S.A § 3316 |
| Tennessee | $50 | 0 | T. C. A. § 55-8-199 |
| Florida | $30 | 3 | FL § 316-305 |
| Iowa | $30 | 0 | IA Code 321.276 |
| Alabama | $25 | 2 | AL § 32-5A-350 |
| Kentucky | $25 | 3 | KY Rev Stat § 189.292 |
| New Mexico | $25 | 3 | NM Stat § 66-7-374 |
| South Carolina | $25 | 0 | SC s. 56-5-2890 |
| California | $20 | 0 | CA § 12-1-23123.5 |
Remember that inexpensive tickets should not make you feel more comfortable handling your phone while you are driving, however. As you take the risk of checking your phone to send or read a text, it is important to remember that while the ticket may be inexpensive, finding yourself in a crash may result in much higher costs, including the cost of fatality.
Can a Texting While Driving Ticket Affect Your Driving Record?
The effect a texting while driving ticket can have on your driving record will depend on the state you receive the ticket in, whether you have previous misdemeanors, and if you pay or decide to fight the ticket. We recommend you fight your ticket so you can save money and energy.
A texting while driving ticket can most notably affect your driving record if you have a previous record. Whether you have one or not, fighting your ticket is a good idea so you can avoid growing your record because of your infraction. There are professionally trained lawyers which can help you fight your texting while driving ticket in a hassle-free way.
Just as with any other traffic infraction, an accumulation of tickets and point losses can increase your insurance rates. This means that not only do you lose money by paying for the ticket in the short run, you may also lose more money in the long run if your insurance goes up.
Does a Texting Ban Help Save Lives?
Texting bans have been linked to significant decreases in fatality and crash rates. Given that distracted driving is a significant cause of vehicle crashes, which includes texting while driving, it is important to have laws implemented to help prevent these types of unnecessary accidents.
Is Fighting a Texting While Driving App Worth it?
Yes, absolutely! If you are wondering whether fighting a texting while driving ticket is worth it, there are easy ways for you to find out, such as contacting AppWinIt. Their team will give you a quote estimated by experts so you can know how much it would cost to have a professional deal with your ticket. Fighting a ticket alone may not be worth it, but with the right lawyer, your life can be made easier.
What Can Help Fight a Driving and Texting Ticket?
No one is proud of getting a texting while driving ticket, but as we become increasingly dependent on our cell phones, we may forget the dangers of checking a message. If you were checking your phone for an emergency, it is important to communicate it in court if you decide to fight your ticket, and provide evidence such as screenshots of the messages as proof.
How Can AppWinIt Help You Fight Your Ticket?
We all know how difficult and complicated navigating the judicial system can be. Trying to read through dense laws and understand how to approach dealing with your ticket can be tiring and seemingly hopeless. This is why App WinIt was designed to help defend people with driving and traffic tickets to avoid money and license point accumulation.
How Does App WinIt Work?
App WinIt is designed to make fighting your ticket an easy and smooth process. First, you begin by submitting some of the basic details of your ticket. App WinIt will review the ticket and give you a quote for an estimate of what it will cost for you to fight it.
Once you accept the offer, App WinIt will put you in touch with professional lawyers you can select from to represent you in your case. The lawyer will then take care of all the dirty work so you can during the whole process. The app’s interface makes it easy to submit evidence, check the status of your case, and stay in touch with your lawyer at all times.
AppWinIt will give you the best, expert support you can get for your parking and traffic tickets no matter what state you are in. Don’t let your life be affected by a texting and driving ticket: contact App WinIt today by following this link to their website.
Conclusion
Texting while driving is a dangerous and irresponsible act which should be avoided at all times. With that being said, it does not mean that you should let a texting while driving ticket overly impact your life with the hassle of paying fines and dealing with its impact on your driving record. This is why AppWinIt is the perfect solution when it comes to helping you alleviate the stress of tickets, courts, and legal matters.
