A NEW road law carrying up to $150 fines has officially launched - but drivers can easily avoid the penalty if they make two adjustments.
Police in Alabama have ended a legal grace period meant to help spread awareness about impending hands-free road laws. Now, drivers are subject to hundred-dollar fines and points on their licenses.
The police are starting a new crackdown on phone use behind the wheel.
Under the new law, drivers are strictly prohibited from making calls or holding their mobile devices to their ears while operating a vehicle.
The law will also increase penalties on drivers caught texting while operating a car.
Police started enforcing the law on June 15, a full calendar year after Alabama's government enacted the changes.
"We really don't want anybody to feel like they're being taken advantage of," Sargent Jeremy Burkett, a public affairs officer for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, told local NBC affiliate WSFA.
"We want these things to be known to people."
The law carries three fine levels.
Drivers caught on their phone for the first time can receive a $50 fine and a point on their license.
A second offense carries a $100 fine and two points, while a third will fine drivers $150 and assign three more points.
Motorists can avoid the penalties with two quick changes.
Drivers can swipe their phone one time to accept an incoming call. They're also allowed to tap their phone a single time to end the conversation.
However, state police hope the new laws will encourage drivers to use Bluetooth devices more frequently.
"Vehicles are equipped with Bluetooth, a lot of them now you can talk through the radio or buy a hands-free device, and that’s what we want people to be able to do," Burkett told the station.
Still, some drivers may be pulled over for the infraction and not receive a fine.
"It’s still under [an officer's] discretion," Burkett added.
Alabama's new road law has more stringent phone-use rules. Here is what drivers should know:
All drivers are subject to hefty fines and added points on their license, which could make car insurance more expensive, if they're caught using their phones behind the wheel.
This is how the fines are assigned:
Drivers can avoid the fines if they switch over to Bluetooth.
They can also swipe their phones a single time to accept or end a phone call.
Otherwise, using a phone while driving in Alabama is now illegal.
Police said each officer is allowed to use discretion while assigning fines and penalties.
Some motorists may drive away from a traffic stop with a written warning.
The laws launched after police ended a year-long information campaign about the phone laws.
"Officers could still always give a verbal warning or a written warning, or if they deem it necessary, they can issue a citation."
Alabama police said the new law will help make the state's roads safer.
The state's Department of Transit reported that crashes continued to rise between 2010 and 2019, according to the latest state-wide study of accidents.
The overall number of crashes grew 23% annually by the end of the decade.
Studies show that drivers are 23 times more likely to be involved in an accident if they text while operating a vehicle.
