The penalty for texting and driving in your state
(MoneyWatch) Do you text and drive, read email and drive, or instant message and drive? Hopefully not, but the fact remains that many people are doing it. In fact, a recent study from the Governors Voice on Highway Safety shows that more than a third of drivers are reading texts and emails while driving, and the percentage of accidents in which cell phone use plays a role continues to go up.
What will it take to keep you from becoming a statistic? Just knowing that it's dangerous is apparently not good enough. But what about paying a fine? Almost every state -- all but four -- have passed legislation banning texting while driving.
What's the penalty for using your phone for text or email while driving? It varies by state. Ignoring the four states which have enacted no laws, the lightest bill you can get is in California: Just $20. That's in stark contrast to Alaska, which charges an incredible $10,000 for texting while driving. New Jersey comes down somewhere in the middle, with a $400 fee. You can see all the states in an infographic at Mother Jones, or browse this list, arranged from the most to the least costly states:
Alaska $10,000
Utah $750
Guam $500
Indiana $500
Maine $500
Oregon $500
New Jersey $400
Wisconsin $400
New York $243
North Carolina $230
Hawaii $200
Nebraska $200
Louisiana $175
Connecticut $150
Georgia $150
Ohio $150
Pennsylvania $140
Minnesota $135
Virginia $125
Washington $124
Arkansas $100
Massachusetts $100
Michigan $100
New Hampshire $100
North Dakota $100
Vermont $100
West Virginia $100
District of Columbia $100
Idaho $85
Rhode Island $85
Illinois $75
Maryland $75
Wyoming $75
Kansas $60
Tennessee $60
Colorado $50
Delaware $50
Nevada $50
Florida $30
Iowa $30
Alabama $25
Kentucky $25
California $20
Photo courtesy Mother Jones
Dave Johnson
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Dave Johnson is editor of eHow Tech and author of three dozen books, including the best-selling How to Do Everything with Your Digital Camera. Dave has previously worked at Microsoft and has written about technology for a long list of magazines that include PC World and Wired.
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