Maine Has New Distracted Driving Law

PORTLAND (NEWS CENTER) -- Starting September 12th, drivers in the state of Maine who don't pay attention behind the wheel could be paying fines in court. A new distracted driver law, aimed at decreasing accidents and increasing safety on Maine's roadways, goes into effect and State Police promise they will be watching the roads for drivers who are not paying enough attention.

"Maine has known for years that distractions of all sorts are responsible for 30 to 35 to 40 percent of all the crashes," said Lieutenant Chris Grotton. Grotton says that over five million crashes occur as a result of distracted driving in the United States every year. "After September 12th, there will be a traffic infraction, failure to maintain control, if somebody is doing something besides driving if they are distracted by some other activity, and that could be a myriad of things, and they commit a traffic infraction or they are involved in a crash," added Grotton.

Penalties for a first offense will be more than $50 with a second offense being more than $250. Police are quick to state that they will not be looking for people talking on phones or eating, but will be watching for people who are doing those things and driving poorly, become involved in a crash or breaking other motor vehicle laws.

"We are not going to be stopping people for talking on the cellphone and not stopping people for using any hand-held device, any more than we would stop them for eating a cheeseburger or drinking a cup of coffee," said Grotton. "The difference here is, if somebody is distracted by anyone of those things or anything else and they commit a traffic infraction."

State Senator Bill Diamond, a former Maine Secretary of State, says he sees people driving and being distracted all the time and that people need to change their driving habits. "Technology has brought with it many distractions, people still eat, I've seen people brush their teeth, read newspapers, read books, all sorts of things while driving 75 80 mph on the turnpike," said Diamond. He says this new law will give police a tool to help make Maine's roads safer, while not punishing people who use a phone or GPS while driving.