Effective August 1, 2012, Alabama law prohibits drivers from writing, sending or reading a text or email while operating a motor vehicle. Violators may be subject to fines of $25, $50 and $75, respectively, for their first, second and third or subsequent offenses.
Exceptions to this law include contacting emergency services and sending a text or email while parked. The law does not prohibit making or receiving cellular telephone calls or typing in a name or number to make such a call.
To promote safe driving and avoid liability for vehicular accidents caused by employees driving while performing work, employers – especially those in Alabama – should develop, publish and enforce policies that ban such behavior during work.
To discuss this law or seek guidance on developing such a policy, please contact any of our more than 70 Labor & Employment attorneys located in Birmingham, Alabama; Atlanta, Georgia; Baton Rouge, Mandeville and New Orleans, Louisiana; Jackson, Mississippi; Chattanooga, Johnson City, Knoxville, Memphis and Nashville, Tennessee; and Houston, Texas.