RideLust

On August 1, a law prohibiting motorists from texting, emailing, or accessing the Internet while behind the wheel [good news: Final Fantasy Mobile Ed. still totally OK] while driving, passed by the Minnesota state legislature, became effective.

On August 5, a 25-year-old man who violated said law was arrested. Granted, he was also completely and utterly tanked, and doing 80 mph down the wrong side of Minnesota Highway 371 – but this is definitely a victory for the war on texting-while-driving.

According to authorities, the driver explained that he had drifted into the opposing lane of traffic because he had been texting on his cell phone. Although clearly a violation of Minnesota’s new law, the Departmentis unsure whether the man will be charged for texting. Said member of the Minnesota Deparment of Safety, Nathan Bowie, “It’s a primary offense, which means that a motorist can be pulled over directly for texting,” but in order to do so, the charging officer must directly observe the motorist texting. 

Already ”suspected” [in the sense that OJ was "suspected" of murdering Ron and Nicole] of a DWI, if the young man is cited for the texting infraction, he faces about $300 in fines.

[Source: Minnesota Public Radio]