For some driving veterans, it's easy to get comfortable while behind the wheel and engage in risky behavior, such as texting. But even with years of experience, it's essential not to forget the real-life consequences that come with distracted driving. According to the CDC, approximately nine people are killed, and more than 1,000 are injured every day in car crashes that involve distracted driving. To crackdown on reckless driving habits, nearly all the states in the union have enacted texting while driving laws, some with harsher penalties than others. TrafficTickets.com and Rosenblum Law, the largest traffic violations law firm in both N.Y. and N.J., analyzed every texting-while-driving law in the country to determine the states with the strictest and most lenient regulations. Montana earned the title of the most lenient state with no law against texting while driving, says TrafficTickets.com's research, which means a driver will not get pulled over by police or face punishment for texting and driving. Other states on the lenient end of the spectrum have very minimal penalties. California, the second most lenient state, has just a $20 fine for the first offense with no license points, while New Mexico and South Carolina both have a $25 fine for the first texting-while-driving offense and no points. Find out the top 10 states with the strictest texting while driving laws in the slideshow above, according to TrafficTickets.com.

Methodology

To determine its list, TrafficTickets.com examined the maximum possible fines for a first texting-while-driving offense and the number of license points given for the crime based on state laws. It also accounted for how many points result in a suspended license in each state. It also considered the factors of if and how a texting ticket might lead to a suspended license in states that do not use the point system. Related: 

 

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Heather A. Turner

Heather A. Turner is the managing editor of ALM's NU Property & Casualty Group. She can be reached at [email protected].

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