© 2024 University of Missouri - KBIA
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Mo. texting while driving law nabs few violators

J Haymes photography
/
Flickr

A 2009 Missouri law that bans young drivers from using their cell phones to send text messages has led to few citations and remains difficult to enforce, a Columbia newspaper reports.

The Columbia Missourian reportsthat an average of fewer than four people a month have received texting-while-driving tickets since the law was passed. Court records reviewed by the Missourian show that no one has been punished for violating the law in nearly half the state's 114 counties.

In Boone County, six of the seven people punished for breaking the law were fined $20.50. A seventh violator received the maximum $200 fine after also hitting a utility pole while texting.

Missouri's distracted driving laws are among the nation's most lenient. Ten states ban all hand-held cellphone use.

The Associated Press is one of the largest and most trusted sources of independent newsgathering, supplying a steady stream of news to its members, international subscribers and commercial customers. AP is neither privately owned nor government-funded; instead, it's a not-for-profit news cooperative owned by its American newspaper and broadcast members.