This past January 1 marked the one-year anniversary of full enforcement of the Nevada ban on talking, or texting, while driving (the "soft opening," to use casino speak, was on Oct. 1, 2011, as of which date law-enforcement officials could stop and give a written warning to drivers they saw breaking the new law). From Jan. 1 last year, officers had the authority to cite drivers for using their phone while driving, imposing fines of up to $250, and while hands-free headsets may still be legally employed by drivers to make and receive calls, texting while driving is a total no-no under the law.
Enforcement of the Nevada ban (we were the 34th state to introduce such a measure) is primary, meaning drivers may be stopped and cited for this reason alone. Cell-phone use is allowed only if a hands-free "accessory" [yes, this includes your passenger, who is perfectly free to use a mobile device, provided they don't distract you with it] is employed throughout the call.
Is this law enforced? Nevada Highway Patrol issued approximately 12,000 electronic distracted-driving tickets in 2012, noting that while the law was "being ignored" by many drivers, relatively few repeat violations were reported, with just 30 second-time and 25 third-time offenders last year. Not only does the fine rise from $50 for a first offense to $100 (second), and then $250 (subsequent violations), but court costs typically double those costs to the driver, while repeat offenders are also subject to points against their license license, with the attendant implications with regard to insurance premiums, and so on.
More importantly, with what was described by the Las Vegas Sun as a "plethora of traffic-related deaths" -- no less than 132 fatalities -- having occurred on state highways by the middle of last year alone, Metro was prompted to host the first-ever "traffic symposium," in an effort to find ways to stem the tide of deaths and serious injuries. According to a senior spokesperson for the trauma unit at University Medical Center, "For every fatality we see, there are at least 10 to 12 people either temporarily or permanently disabled" by traffic accidents, with attendant socio-economic fallout for the community in lost man-hours, rehabilitation costs, and so on, in addition to the emotional toll on their loved ones.
The law does not apply to GPS systems "affixed to the vehicle," so if your vehicle, or your rental vehicle is so-equipped, you're within the law; otherwise have your passenger use your phone, or switch your phone to voice commands and make sure it's "affixed to the vehicle," not in your hand, and you should be safe. Las Vegas is a pretty small town, so check your route prior to departure and if you get confused in suburbia, it won't kill you to pull off the road to double-check your route, while it might just kill you, or someone else, if you don't, so be safe and smart.
