(HE)
A BIG DAY FOR DRIVERS
HERE IN THE OCEAN
STATE--
AS RHODE ISLAND
OFFICIALLY WENT HANDS
FREE.
(SN)
POLICE HAVE BEEN ON
AREA ROADS ALL DAY
LONG--
LOOKING FOR VIOLATORS.
SO THE BIG QUESTION IS--
ARE RHODE ISLANDERS
READY?
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER KIM KALUNIAN
SPOKE TO LOCAL
DRIVERS--
AND HAS THE IMPORTANT
INFORMATION YOU NEED
TO KNOW--
LIVE FROM THE MOBILE
NEWSROOM.
(KK)
TODAY'S THE DAY -- IF
YOU'RE GETTING BEHIND
THE WHEEL OF CAR HERE
IN RHODE ISLAND, FROM
NOW ON IN YOU CAN'T BE
HOLDING YOUR PHONE --
OF ELSE YOU COULD FACE
A $100 FINE.
SOME PEOPLE EITHER HAVEN'T
GOTTEN THE MEMO -- OR ARE
JUST CHOOSING TO IGNORE
RHODE ISLAND'S NEW HANDS-
FREE LAW WHICH WENT INTO
EFFECT TODAY.
WE MET A VERY CANDID LEXI
CAPARCO WHO CONFESSES
SHE'S ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE
WHO'S JUST HOPING SHE
DOESN'T GET CAUGHT.
I honestly just put my phone on
speaker, I still hold, it I'm
not going
to lie, this is probably
terrible to say
on the news
Bridge --
HOLDING THE PHONE, EVEN IF
IT'S ON SPEAKER, IS NOW
ILLEGAL. YOUR OPTIONS: GET A
BLUETOOTH SYSTEM, USE A
SINGLE HEADPHONE, OR WHEN
IN DOUBT - USE A MOUNT.
You see people who are like
talking
on their phones they're not
paying
attention they go into all
different
lanes
THAT'S WHY STATE OFFICIALS
SAY THEY ENACTED THE LAW --
SAFETY. ACCORDING TO THE
NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC
SAFETY ADMINISTRATION,
MORE THAN 3,400 PEOPLE DIED
NATIONWIDE IN DISTRACTED
DRIVING CRASHES IN 2016.
STEVE DEVINE IS FROM
MASSACHUSETTS WHERE THEY
TOO ARE CONSIDERING A
HANDS-FREE PROPOSAL --
To actually have to put the
phone
down I think is a decent idea
HE ALREADY USES BLUETOOTH
-- AS DOES MADDI LARSEN WHO
GREW UP IN CALIFORNIA
WHERE HANDS-FREE DRIVING
HAS BEEN A LAW SINCE SHE
GOT HER LICENSE.
It's so nice being hands free
and just
having one headphone in your ear
while driving it's simple
instead of
having one hand on the wheel and
one hand on the phone plus
you're
not looking at the phone so it
just
makes everything safer and
easier
NATS
AND EVEN THOUGH CAPARCO
HAS A BLUETOOTH SYSTEM IN
HER CAR, SHE SAYS THIS
CHANGE IS STILL GOING TO
TAKE SOME GETTING USED TO.
Kim
So right now you know you're
breaking the law?
Shh I know, I'm saying this on
TV
(KK)
AND WHAT HAPPENS IF
YOU'RE CAUGHT? POLICE
SAY YOU'LL FACE A $100
SUMMONS, WHICH YOU
CAN HAVE WAIVED IN
COURT IF YOU PRESENT
PROOF YOU'VE
PURCHASED A HANDS
FREE SYSTEM. COMING UP
NEW AT 6 -WE'LL HEAR
FROM THE DIRECTOR OF
THE DOT ABOUT THE FIRST
DAY OF THIS NEW LAW. KK
EWN.
low to mid 70s.
HEARD FROM RHODE
ISLAND STATE POLICE,
ABOUT HOW MANY
TICKETS THEY'VE
WRITTEN, FOR PEOPLE
VIOLATING THE HANDS-
FREE LAW.
STATE OFFICIALS HAVE
BEEN WORKING TO GET
THE WORD OUT FOR
WEEKS ABOUT THE LAW,
WHICH WENT INTO EFFECT
THIS MORNING.
EYEWITNESS NEWS
REPORTER KIM KALUNIAN
JOINS US LIVE FROM THE
MOBILE NEWSROOM, WITH
NEW DETAILS.
WELL WE CHECKED WITH
STATE POLICE THIS
AFTERNOON -- AND THEY
SAID THEY'VE ISSUED
JUST ONE CITATION AND
ONE WARNING TODAY --
SAYING IT SEEMS FOLKS
HAVE GOTTEN THE MEMO
THAT THE NEW HANDS
FREE LAW IS NOW IN
EFFECT.
HIGHWAY SIGNS ALERTING
DRIVERS - "HANDS FREE
STARTS TODAY -- JUST DRIVE"
If today, you don't have a
Bluetooth
device or something that allows
you
to operate your phones hands
free,
that you put them in the back
seat or
shut them off.
RHODE ISLAND DOT DIRECTOR
PETER ALVITI HOPES THE NEW
HANDS-FREE LAW WILL CUT
DOWN ON DISTRACTED DRIVING CRASHES --
AND NY RESULTING CRASHES --
You have to have full attention
to
driving in order to be the
safest that
you can be.
SOME DRIVERS WE SPOKE
WITH SAY GOING HANDS-FREE
WILL BE AN ADJUSTMENT
It is sort of kind of an
everyday thing
that I do so it's going to be a
little bit
of a -- getting my mind trained
to
switch off of that
KERI DOWNING SAYS SHE'S
GOT BLUETOOTH IN HER CAR
AND HAS STARTED USING IT --
HER DAUGHTER, IS ANOTHER
STORY.
I still hold it, I'm not going
to lie, this
is probably terrible to say on
the
news.
HOLDING YOUR PHONE, EVEN
WITH THE CALL ON SPEAKER, IS
NOW OUTLAWED. DRIVERS CAN
USE BLUETOOTH, A SINGLE
HEADPHONE OR A DASH MOUNT
TO TAKE CALLS -- TEXTING
WHILE DRIVING WAS ALREADY
ILLEGAL.
I don't want to live with
hurting
anybody and I don't want to hurt
myself.
AND IF YOU GET CAUGHT
USING YOUR PHONE IT'S A
$100 SUMMONS -- BUT
POLICE SAY YOU CAN TRY
TO GET THAT FIRST
CITATION WAIVED IF YOU
BRING PROOF TO COURT
THAT YOU'VE PURCHASED
A HANDS-FREE SYSTEM.
KK EWN.