http://rdu.news14.com/content/top_stories/?ArID=95340&RegionCookie=30

Quote :

"RALEIGH -- Before you get in your vehicle and drive Friday, you are going to want to know about some new laws. If you don't, you could face fines as well as the possibility of being arrested. Adults riding in the back seat of a vehicle must now buckle up. Passengers will have a seven month grace period to get used to the new law before being ticketed. “From Dec. 1, 2006 until June 30, 2007, a written warning will be given or a verbal warning if you are stopped,” said highway patrol trooper D.L. Jackson. “Starting July 1, 2007, a citation will be issued.” The highway patrol says anyone 18 or under could face a fine for talking on a phone in a moving vehicle. The highway patrol says anyone 18 or under could face a fine for talking on a phone in a moving vehicle. Anyone older than 16 who is not wearing a seatbelt will be fined $10. A package of new DWI laws also go into effect Friday. The most significant section includes an almost guaranteed conviction for anyone caught drinking and driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08 or higher. The new laws also make it illegal for anyone under 21 to drink. Current laws only make possession illegal. (huh?!?) Officials hope these new laws will have a huge impact on the state's drinking and driving problems. “This is going to strengthen North Carolina's efforts to remove impaired drivers from our roadways,” said Don Nail, of the governor's highway safety program. DWI citations are not only going to be handed out on roads, you can now be charged with impaired driving while on a bicycle or lawnmower. The highway patrol says anyone 18 or under could face a fine for talking on a phone in a moving vehicle. The only exceptions are if you are talking to your parents or a 911 operator. “If you’re using a cell phone while driving, you’re at about the same risk for a serious crash as if you were legally intoxicated,” said highway safety expert Arthur Goodwin."

Basically, you have to wear a seatbelt anywhere in the car.

I like the cell phone one, but I still think it should be ANY calls for ANYONE. Hands free, man, hands free.

11/30/2006 8:05:30 AM

this thread has been done a lot since the story was originally released

11/30/2006 8:14:08 AM