By Chase Holmes, News Reporter
MONTGOMERY — It is now illegal for a driver in Alabama to hold a phone, even if you are on a phone call, after Governor Ivey signed the distracted driving bill into law.
The new law makes it a secondary offense, meaning that police can not stop a driver for talking on the phone but if they observe the driver swerving or driving unsafe, they can then pull the driver over and charge them with distracted driving.
Fines start at $25 for the driver’s first offense and this will be the case for one year as a way to get drivers acclimated to the new law. After one year, the fine will be raised to $50 with a one-point violation on the charged person’s license. A second violation would have a $100 fine, with another two-point violation. For a third violation, the driver will be issued three points, as well as a $150 fine.
