A NEW LAW GOING INTO EFFECT
TODAY.. CHANGING THE RULES WHEN
IT
COMES TO DRIVING... AND HOW YOU
USE YOUR CELL PHONE WHEN
YOU'RE BEHIND THE WHEEL...
BO
NOW... THE STATE BANS HAND-HELD
CELL PHONE USE.. WHLE YOU ARE
OPERATING YOUR VEHICLE..
MANY W-A-T-E VIEWERS HAVE COME
TO US WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT
THIS LAW...
LORI
NEW AT FOUR.. WATE SIX ON YOUR
SIDE REPORTER LAURA HALM HAS
THE ANSWERS...
WELL, I'M SEEING SOME CONFUSION
ON SOCIAL MEDIA, AND DRIVERS
NEED TO REMEMBER...
YOU CAN STILL HAVE A
CONVERSATION ON THE PHONE IN
YOUR CAR... YOU JUST CANNOT BE
HOLDING YOUR PHONE... OR USING
ANY PART OF YOUR BODY TO HOLD
THE
PHONE UP... LIKE THIS...
TODAY'S THE DAY...
JENNIFER DUFFIE - KNOXVILLE
03:55-03:59
"I CAN SEE THEM ON THEIR PHONE
TEXTING OR WHATEVER AND IT'S
FRUSTRATING."
TENNESSEE... IS HANDS FREE...
CELIA FERGUSON - KNOXVILLE
02:23-02:29
"I'VE HEARD ABOUT IT BUT I
HAVEN'T
READ A WHOLE LOT ABOUT IT SO I'M
NOT
EXACTLY SURE ABOUT ALL THE
FACTORS IN THE LAW ARE."
GOING FORWARD... A DRIVER CANNOT
HOLD A CELLPHONE, SEND A TEXT OR
TAKE A PICTURE ON A PHONE OR
MOBILE
DEVICE....
LT DON BOSHEARS - THP
01:53-02:12
"ONE TOUCH TO ANSWER, ONE TOUCH
TO END THE CALL. IF YOU'VE GOT
A PHONE IN THE HOLDER THE PHONE
RINGS, YOU CAN TOUCH ONE BUTTON
ON THE PHONE OR THE STEERING
WHEEL TO ANSWER THE CALL, YOU'RE
FINE AS LONG AS YOU DON'T PICK
THE
PHONE UP AND HOLD IT IN YOUR
HAND WHILE YOU'RE HAVING THE
CONVERSATION."
DRIVERS CAN USE BLUE TOOTH
THROUGH THEIR RADIO... EAR
BUDS.... HEADPHONES... AND A
BLUEETOOTH DEVICE IN YOUR
EAR....
I ASKED LT DON BOSHEARS... CAN
YOU USE YOUR APPLE WATCH WHILE
DRIVING???
LT DON BOSHEARS - THP
04:42-04:45
"YES, SAME PRINCIPLE THOUGH,
ONE TOUCH."
NAT POP
CELIA FERGUSON - KNOXVILLE
01:14-01:19
"WHAT IF I PICK UP MY PHONE TO
GET
MY GPS STARTED?"
TROOPERS SAY... YOU CANNOT HOLD
YOUR PHONE AND USE GPS... THEY
SUGGEST PUTTING ON TURN
BY TURN VOICE COMMANDS AS
DIRECTIONS...
WHEN IT COMES TO STREAMING
MUSIC....
LT DON BOSHEARS - THP
04:08-04:24
"THE BIG QUESTION THAT WE GET ON
THAT IS IF I DON'T LIKE THE
SONG THAT COMES ON, CAN I PICK
THE
PHONE UP AND CHANGE THE DEVICE
TO THE NEXT SONG?' NO.
YOU CAN STREAM MUSIC, BUT YOU
CAN'T LOOK AT IT AND YOU CAN'T
PICK
IT UP."
LT BOSHEARS SAYS THE HANDS-FREE
LAW IS SIMILAR TO OUR CURRENT
TEXTING LAW... AND IF YOU'RE AT
A LEGAL STOP AT A RED LIGHT...
YOU
CAN BY THE LAW MAKE A CALL OR
SEND A TEXT.... THOUGH IT'S
SUGGESTED YOU FIND A SAFE PLACE
LIKE A PARKING LOT TO PULL
OVER...
LT DON BOSHEARS - THP
05:39-05:50
"EVERY CASE IS DIFFERENT. I
CAN'T
SAY THAT THERE'S AN UMBRELLA
THAT
YOU AN JUST COVER EVERY
SITUATION
WITH. IT'S GOING TO BE ON A CASE
BY
CASE BASIS."
DRIVERS SAYING... IT'S ABOUT
TIME...
JENNIFER DUFFIE - KNOXVILLE
03:32-03:35
"I THINK IT'S A GOOD LAW. I
THINK IT'LL HELP PREVENT
ACCIDENTS."
THERE ARE SOME EXCEPTIONS... YOU
CAN CALL FIRST RESPONDERS IN
THE CASE OF A GENUINE
EMERGENCY....
AND... THIS LAW DOES NOT APPLY
TO
CERTAIN PEOPLE WHILE WORKING:
LAW ENFORCEMENT
OFFICERS... AND A NUMBER OF
FIRST RESPONDERS -- I'LL HAVE
MORE ON
THAT COMING UP AT SIX...
BO
IF YOU'RE CITED FOR THIS HANDS-
FREE LAW...
IT'S A 50-DOLLAR FINE FOR A
FIRST TIME OFFENSE...
THAT DOUBLES TO 100-DOLLARS...
THE
THIRD TIME YOU'RE CITED... OR IF
THE
VIOLATION RESULTS IN A CRASH....
LORI
IF YOU'RE CAUGHT VIOLATING THE
LAW IN A WORK ZONE WHLIE WORKERS
ARE THERE... OR IN A MARKED
SCHOOL
ZONE WHILE THE FLASHERS ARE
OPERATING... YOU CAN EXPECT A
200-
DOLLAR FINE...
BO
THE BAN ON HAND HELD CELL PHONE
USE WHILE DRIVING .. NOT THE
ONLY
LAW GOING INTO EFFECT TODAY.
LORI
AS OF TODAY... PEOPLE ORDAINED
ONLINE ARE NO LONGER ALLOWED TO
OFFICIATE WEDDINGS IN
TENNESSEE.
BO
ANOTHER LAW MAKES DAYLIGHT
SAVING TIME THE STANDARD TIME IN
TENNESSEE...
THIS LAW WILL GO ON THE BOOKS..
BUT THE CHANGE WOULD ONLY
ACTUALLY HAPPEN IF CONGRESS
GIVES
ITS APPROVAL...
LORI
ALSO--- LOCAL GOVERNMENTS CAN
NOW ALLOW SPORTS GAMBLING
BO
AND ANOTHER NEW LAW BANS
ABORTION... IT'S ON THE BOOKS..
BUT WOULD ONLY HAVE AN EFFECT IF
ROE V
WADE WAS OVERTURNED... OR THERE
WAS AN AMENDMENT TO THE
CONSTITUTION.
LORI
WE HAVE A FULL LIST OF THE NEWS
LAWS AND A BREAKDOWN OF
WHAT EXACTLY THEY MEAN FOR
TENNESSEEANS.. ON OUR WEBSTE..
WATE DOT COM.
LORI
NOW LET'S TURN FOR A LOOK AT THE
WEATHER...
BO
LET'S CHECK ON THE FORECAST WITH
WATE 6 ON YOUR SIDE
METEROLOGIST MATT HINKIN...