news-record.com

RALEIGH — Starting Tuesday, sending a text message or reading an e-mail while driving will become illegal for all North Carolina drivers as this and dozens of other new laws go into effect Dec. 1.

Already, young drivers on graduated licenses are prohibited from using most features associated with cell phones while at the wheel. Adult drivers still will be able to talk on the phone, but texting could land you a $100 fine plus court costs.

“When you’re texting, you have your brain and your hand and your eyes all off the road at the same time,” said Arthur Goodwin , a senior research associate with the UNC Highway Safety Research Center. “Texting is about one of the most dangerous things you can do while driving.”

Studies have shown that talking on a cell phone while driving increases the risk of having an accident nearly fourfold because it makes drivers split their concentration between the conversation and the road. Goodwin likened that risk to someone driving drunk.

Although there hasn’t been as much research on texting, Goodwin said, studies have suggested the risk of an accident goes up 32 times for a driver who is texting.

In one study, Goodwin said, texting drivers not only had slower reaction times to emergencies but also were more likely to cross out of their lanes or cross double-yellow center lines.

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, seven states and the District of Columbia ban the use of handheld phones while driving, and 14 states ban texting. New bans are scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1 in four other states.

In October, President Barack Obama signed an executive order banning federal employees from texting while driving when they are conducting government business. It includes the use of personal and government-provided cars and cell phones.

Still, Goodwin said, such laws can be difficult to enforce. A police officer might have trouble determining whether drivers are holding mobile devices or what they’re doing with them.

“It seems like it’s largely going to be a self-enforcing thing,” Goodwin said.

High Point arrests

High Point sprawls into four counties. Until now, High Point police making arrests in the parts of the city outside Guilford County have had to drive suspects to jails in Davidson, Randolph and Forsyth counties and set aside time to appear at court dates in those locations.

Starting Tuesday, when people are arrested inside High Point city limits, regardless of the county, they will be taken to the Guilford County courthouse in High Point.

“That is going to save our police officers excessive transportation and travel time,” said Rep. Laura Wiley , a High Point Republican who sponsored the measure.

Less time spent driving to out-of-county jails and making court appearances elsewhere leaves more time for High Point officers to patrol the streets.

Fines and forfeitures collected in such cases will still be sent back to the county where the crime occurred, Wiley said.

Holster that reptile

Owners of venomous reptiles, large constricting snakes and crocodilians will have to abide by a new set of rules starting Tuesday.

A new state law lays out requirements for sturdy cages, what to do in case of bites and plans for recovering dangerous critters that go missing.

“If I had a neighbor who had a Mamba, I’d want them to have good caging standards,” said Jeff Hall , a herpetologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission. Black Mamba is a venomous snake native to Africa.

Hall is chairman of the N.C. Partners in Amphibian and Reptile Conservation, a group of professional herpetologists and reptile enthusiasts who pushed for the new standards, made as a revision to the state’s 1945 law on handling dangerous reptiles.

No one incident sparked the group to ask lawmakers for the change, Hall said. However, dangerous animals have been known to go missing or bite visitors.

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com