“Inattentive Driving” — Nevada’s New Law

Distracted drivers, watch out! For a long time, we’ve known about the dangers of people not paying attention while they drive, and many states have even passed laws making the use of cell phones behind the wheel illegal. Unfortunately, for far too often we ignore the other kinds of distracted driving.

People eating and drinking behind the wheel, using the rear view mirror to put on makeup, or reading the morning paper while sitting in traffic are all activities that are every bit as dangerous as texting and driving. Now, in Nevada, they’ve all been declared patently illegal. Read about Nevada’s new inattentive driving law, and what your options are if you’re injured by such a driver with the help of a Nevada auto accident lawyer.

New Nevada Driving Laws

The inattentive driving laws are one of a set of new laws designed to enable law enforcement officials to better police and protect the roads in Nevada. Among these are a law that doubles fines for drivers who speed in a pedestrian zone, up to $1,000. The law empowers local governments to be stricter in their enforcement of a number of moving violations.

Inattentive Driving Law

The inattentive driving law portion of the new Senate Bill 144 also allows police to issue citations for careless or inattentive driving. While the bill isn’t specific as to what conditions precisely qualify as inattentive, it does provide sweeping authority for officers to make those judgments.

A press release from the Reno Police Department lists a few scenarios that could qualify as causing careless or inattentive driving. These include eating behind the wheel, or applying makeup while driving.

Why These Laws Exist

The laws exist to make Nevada roads safer for both pedestrians and motorists. Getting behind the wheel does much more than give a person access to transportation. A motor vehicle can be a deadly weapon, and it’s important for drivers to treat it with due respect.

Many people view getting a ticket as being punished, but the truth is, police view them as a teaching moment. Getting a citation should be viewed as a chance to learn what you’ve done wrong, and to correct those errors in the future before someone gets hurt.

Nevada Auto Accident Lawyer

Of course, no matter how good of a driver you are, no matter how much attention you pay to these inattentive driving laws, there’s always someone else on the road who isn’t quite as responsible. The actions of one irresponsible driver can cause tragic harm to any number of people, and if this happens to you, you deserve compensation for the injuries you suffer.

The best way to approach such a situation is with the help of a qualified Nevada auto accident lawyer. If you are driving on Nevada roadways and become the victim of a distracted, inattentive or careless driver and need help pursuing compensation, the attorneys at Eglet Prince can help. Just give us a call for a case consultation today.