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Driving Laws 
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- Stateline Story
Rural States Struggle to Reduce Road Deaths
Why some states have a lot of traffic deaths is linked to rural roads, seat belts, drunk drivers and speed. more
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- Map
Stateline: Traffic Death Rates Across the States
States with high rates of traffic deaths tend to have a large network of rural roads, low seat belt usage, a high percentage of deaths caused by drunk drivers and a high number of fatal accidents involving speed. Stateline reports.
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- Stateline Story
Driving Laws Explained: In the Medical Marijuana Age, How High is too High to Drive?
States are growing more concerned about "drugged driving." But at the same time, many are offering avenues to legitimate marijuana use. Here’s a primer on the research and policy issues surrounding driving high. more
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- Stateline Story
Labor Shortages Lead Businesses to Support Help for Undocumented Workers
Business groups, especially in agriculture, are pushing several state measures to aid immigrant laborers who are in the country illegally. But many of those efforts are treading on uncertain legal ground. more
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- Stateline Story
Survey: State Laws Do Little to Stop Texting While Driving
TODAY'S TAKE: A new survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds that motorists consider texting while driving dangerous, except when they do it themselves.more -
- Stateline Story
Does the New iPhone's 'Siri' Make Texting While Driving Legit?
New voice-activated services make it possible to send text messages with both hands on the wheel. As drivers begin to use these new technologies, states may have to decide what they will and won't allow on the road.more -
- Stateline Story
Nevada Law Frees Hands but Clogs Shoulders
TRANSPORTATION BEAT: Nevada police started enforcing a law banning drivers from using handheld devices, but discovered some motorists are taking risks to comply with the new rule.more -
- Stateline Story
Motorcycle Helmet Laws May Save Lives, but Bikers Would Love to Repeal Them
The fight between motorcyclists and safety organizations erupts regularly throughout the country. Right now, the two sides have battled to a virtual stalemate. more
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- Stateline Story
Michigan Takes Aim at 'Super' Drunk Drivers
TODAY'S TAKE: Starting on Halloween, first-time drunk drivers in Michigan will face tougher penalties if they have a blood alcohol limit of 0.17 percent, which is more than twice the state's current legal limit of 0.08 percent.more -
- Stateline Story
Distracted Driving Deaths Fall as States Crack Down
TODAY'S TAKE: The U.S. Transportation Department reported Monday (Sept. 20) that the number of deaths related to distracted driving fell by 6 percent in 2009. The decrease comes as dozens of states have cracked down on drivers who talk or text on mobile phones while behind the wheel. more
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- Stateline Story
Momentum Building to End Driver's Licenses for Illegal Immigrants
TODAY'S TAKE: The number of states that allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses has steadily declined in recent years. Now, political pressure is building to end the practice in New Mexico, one of the three states that still does so. more
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- Stateline Story
States Eye License Plate Cameras as Source of Cash
States have used license plate readers to catch car thieves and toll cheats. Now, some are looking at using them to raise revenue by finding - and fining - uninsured drivers. Millions of dollars are at stake, but critics say the idea takes the use of surveillance cameras too far. more
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- Stateline Story
State Inspections Curtailed in New Jersey
TODAY'S TAKE: To save $17 million a year, New Jersey is no longer inspecting residents' cars for bad brakes, broken turn signals, steering problems and other mechanical failures. The state says residents can identify those problems themselves, but the move is likely to cause concern among road-safety advocates. more
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- Stateline Story
Driver's Licenses for Immigrants Becoming Rarer
New Mexico is one of the last remaining states to let undocumented immigrants obtain driver's licenses. In a year when state immigration policies are becoming a lighting-rod political issue, that policy may not last for much longer. more
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- Stateline Story
States Hound Dogged Drivers
Dubbed the "Paris Hilton Bill," California legislation to ban a pet from riding on a driver's lap suffered a setback at the hands of a harried governor. But at least four other states are considering similar laws.more -
- Stateline Story
States Lock Out Drunk Drivers
Most states now have laws that can order drunk drivers to use in-car breathalyzers, called ignition interlocks, that prevent cars from starting if alcohol is detected. While some laws are more lenient, seven states require the ignition interlocks for all first-time convictions.more -
- Stateline Story
Real ID Showdown Averted
The clash between the states and the federal government over nationwide rules to make driver's licenses more secure has ended - for now. A truce, of sorts, between the 50 states and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, has kicked the issue down the road for the next president and Congress to hash out almost two years from now.more -
- Stateline Story
State Officials Not Sold on New License Rules
State officials and some in Congress remain skeptical about new federal rules for driver's licenses, even after major changes designed to cut the cost of those rules and provide more flexibility.The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Friday (Jan. 11) released final rules for the Real ID Act of 2005, giving states nearly five extra years to verify the identity of an estimated 245 million drivers and reissue secure licenses to them.more -
- Stateline Story
States Tackle Texting Behind the Wheel
Legislators in three states are targeting text messaging to keep drivers' thumbs on the wheel and off the tiny keypads of their cell phones or wireless devices in the latest crackdown on distracted driving. Four states plus the District of Columbia already forbid chatting on hand-held cell phones -- a de facto ban on texting.more -
- Stateline Story
Too Little Time, Too Much Cost for Real ID
States cannot possibly meet a May 2008 federal deadline making driver's licenses more secure -- steps that could cost more than $11 billion over five years, according to a survey of state motor vehicle administrators released Sept. 21.more