Since 2014, annual traffic fatalities in Maine have increased by 37%, according to the national study by the nonprofit TRIP. State officials say those numbers may not give a full picture, though.
distracted driving
Posted inFranklin
Livermore Falls man cited for distracted driving after SUV hits parked cars
LIVERMORE FALLS — A local man was charged with distracted driving Wednesday evening after the SUV he was driving hit two parked cars on Park Street, Lt. Joseph Sage said. Jeromy Merchant, 38, of Livermore Falls was heading south on Park Street, also known as Route 133, when the accident happened at about 6 p.m. […]
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Posted inFranklin, sj-web
Farmington police are looking down on distracted drivers — literally
FARMINGTON — Police are using a new tactic to try and make motor vehicle drivers and the public aware of the dangers of distracted driving. Drivers whose vehicles were driving by or stopped at the traffic lights at the intersection of Main Street, Farmington Falls Road and the Park and Ride on Tuesday morning probably […]
Posted inLocal & State
Deputy goes undercover as panhandler to nab distracted drivers
TOPSHAM (AP) — A Maine police officer says he dressed as a panhandler to try and catch distracted drivers. Deputy Zach Kinderlan with the Sagadahoc County Sheriff’s Department says he wore street clothes and held a cardboard sign while standing in a median in Topsham on Tuesday. Instead of asking for money, his sign read “I’m […]
Posted inLocal & State
Video: Maine trooper has near miss involving distracted driver
The Maine Bureau of Highway Safety released a video Monday showing a close call between a state trooper and a distracted driver who sideswiped a cruiser in a box truck. The video shows Cpl. Dan Hanson speaking to the driver of a pickup truck he had stopped on the side of Route 26 in Paris […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine Supreme Court makes it easier to prove distracted driving
PORTLAND (AP) — Law enforcement officials don’t have to show what specifically distracted a driver before a fatal chain-reaction crash, the state’s top court ruled, providing important guidance to law enforcement at a time when distracted drivers are a growing concern. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that lawmakers intended for a wide variety of […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Maine court clarifies requirements for distracted driving finding
PORTLAND (AP) — Law enforcement officials don’t have to show what specifically distracted a driver before a fatal chain-reaction crash, the state supreme court ruled, providing important guidance to law enforcement at a time when distracted drivers are a major concern. The Maine Supreme Judicial Court ruled that lawmakers contemplated a wide variety of activities […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Gov. Paul LePage will decide on possible cellphone ban for drivers
AUGUSTA — Maine lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to a measure that would ban the use of handheld devices while driving. The measure, initially approved by both the Senate and House last month, heads next to Gov. Paul LePage. State Police Major Chris Grotton called the proposal “exactly the law that Maine law enforcement needs […]
Posted inLocal & State, sj-web
Distracted Driving: Maine to launch awareness program today
AUGUSTA — Gov. Paul LePage is helping unveil a new program designed to prevent distracted driving on Maine roads. The Republican governor, State Police Chief Col. Robert Williams and members of the Maine Bureau of Highway Safety will announce the new effort on Tuesday in Augusta. The Department of Public Safety says the program will […]
Posted inFranklin, The Franklin Journal
Driver in crash faces distracted driving charge
CHESTERVILLE — Five people were trapped Wednesday after a broken utility pole beside Ridge Road landed on one vehicle and wires on another, Franklin County Sheriff Scott Nichols Sr. said. No one was injured, he said. Brandy Krause, 68, of Wilton was driving her Honda CRV north at about 3:38 p.m. when it struck the […]