A good New Year’s resolution to have may require putting down your cell phone while driving, at least in Nevada.
As of the start of this year, Mesquite Police Officers will be issuing motorists citations for texting, accessing the Internet, and hand-held cell phone use while driving. Drivers can talk using a hands-free headset and, while making voice calls, touch the phone to activate, deactivate, or initiate a feature or function on the device.
Exceptions include:
* Any person reporting a medical emergency, a safety hazard, or criminal activity.
* Drivers using a voice-operated navigation system affixed to the vehicle or those riding in autonomous vehicles.
* Drivers using citizen band (CB) or other two-way radios that require a license and have a separate, hand-held microphone.
* Law enforcement officers, firefighters or emergency medical personnel acting within the scope of their employment.
* Utility workers responding to an outage or emergency and using devices provided by the company.
* Amateur radio operators providing communications services during an emergency or disaster.
The fines are $97 for the first offense in seven years, $182 for the second and $342 for the third and subsequent offenses. Fines are subject to doubling if the offense occurs in a work zone.
