Cell phone law: Nevada motorists to get warnings beginning Oct. 1

Here is a reminder from the Nevada Department of Transportation about the handheld cell phone use law, passed this spring by the Nevada Legislature. Officers will begin issuing warnings beginning Oct. 1. The law goes into effect Jan. 1, 2012. It is already illegal to drive while talking on the phone or texting in California.

It is prohibited to talk or text on a handheld cell phone or similar device while driving under legislation passed by the 2011 Nevada Legislature.

Beginning Oct. 1, 2011, law enforcement will give motorists a warning for driving while using a handheld cell phone. Beginning Jan. 1, 2012, fines of up to $250 will be imposed for any driver using a handheld phone or similar device to talk, read or type.

Not only is cell phone use while driving banned in Nevada, but you are four times more likely to crash when driving while talking on a cell phone. In fact, driving while talking or texting can delay your reaction time as much as driving legally drunk, even if it is by Bluetooth or other hands-free method.

There are more than 3,500 distraction-related crashes in Nevada every year, and more than 60 deaths in the past five years. Across the nation in 2009, nearly 5,500 people died and half a million were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. The number is believed to represent only the tip of the iceberg because police reports cannot always document whether distraction was a factor in vehicle crashes.

Don’t risk it- don’t drive while talking or texting!