Know Your Laws: Delaware’s Cell Phone Ban

At Silverman, McDonald, & Friedman, we are committed to advocating for people who have been injured in a car crash caused by a reckless, careless, or distracted driver. We work with personal injury clients in Seaford, Wilmington, Newark, and all throughout the state. Please contact our firm to learn more about your legal rights.

In 2011, Delaware instituted a cell phone ban for drivers. The law prohibits the use of any hand-held device while driving. This includes, but is not limited to: cell phones, PDAs, laptops, and portable game consoles. If you need to talk on the phone, you must be hands-free. If a police officer sees you talking while holding your phone, you will get pulled over and fined. You can get a ticket for reading or writing text messages and other types of distracted driving. What about reading a map or navigation system while holding your phone, you ask? Technically, it is illegal to do any activity on a handheld device, including emailing or using the Internet while driving.

Your first offense means a ticket of around $100, and subsequent penalties can reach about $350. There have been more than 54,000 citations issued in Delaware to date – obviously, this law gets enforced on the road. The state has more stringent laws than other states, and it led the pack as the eighth state to ban the use of handhelds. A little slow to text messaging laws, Delaware was the thirtieth state in the nation ban this practice.

Distracted driving kills; Know what to avoid

Every day in the United States, nine people die in distracted driving collisions. Delaware highway drivers should never assume other drivers are being safe on the road. Many drivers are indeed distracted in some way. At any given moment in America, there are more than half a million motorists driving with a cell phone in their hands. In fact, a recent survey found that almost half of American drivers ages 25 to 34 believe that text messaging while driving is acceptable.

What’s more, cell phone usage is not the only dangerous distraction. Distracted driving also includes:

• Eating and drinking
• Changing the radio
• Adjusting the air conditioner
• Putting on makeup
• Changing your navigation
• Letting your mind or thoughts wander

If you have been in an car accident with a distracted driver, call a trustworthy Delaware personal injury lawyer. You may be entitled to compensation.

We want you to be safe on the road. But if you are hurt in a car crash with a distracted driver, Silverman, McDonald, & Friedman is the law firm you can trust to advocate for you. Our car accident lawyers serve clients in Wilmington, Seaford, Newark and throughout the state. We are dedicated to securing compensatory damages for our clients, and helping them move on with their lives and heal. Please call 302-888-2900 or fill out our contact form now to schedule a no-cost and no obligation consultation.