Alabama does have a couple of crucial laws on the books to discourage young drivers from using cellphones, while also discouraging all drivers from texting while driving. But before we get into those laws, let’s first talk about the phrase “distracted driving.”
To most people, distracted driving is synonymous for using a cellphone while driving. Nowadays, it is easy to see why this association is made — but really, distracted driving captures a much wider range of dangerous driving behaviors than just cellphone use. Changing the radio or having the music too loud is distracted driving. Talking to friends in the backseat is distracted driving. Looking at a cloud when you should be focused on the road is distracted driving too.
What we’re trying to say is that there are general negligence ans safety laws that apply to the road that can encompass many different dangerous driving behaviors, including cellphone use while driving. And when it can be proven that a driver was dangerous or negligent out on the road prior to a crash he or she was involved in, then that driver can be held liable.
Now, back to those Alabama laws on cellphone use and driving. One of the laws is aimed at young drivers, banning them from using cellphones (in any form) while driving. A “young driver” in this case is anyone aged 16 or 17, and that has an intermediate license for no more than 6 months. There is also a wider ban on any texting while driving for all drivers in the state.
Source: distraction.gov, “State Laws: Alabama,” Accessed June 1, 2016
