Maine's New Law

Bangor is a city of about 32,000 residents. This total soars to over 80,000 during the weekday work hours. With so many people traveling into the city for their days, there are constantly accidents caused by drives who simply weren’t paying attention to what they were doing. Distracted drivers cause the majority of accidents in the Bangor area. The 57 officers of the Bangor Police Department work hard everyday to keep the streets safe for everyone.

Maine has recently passed a law that allows law enforcement officers to fine people for being distracted while at the wheel. What many people don’t understand is what the law actually says. Many people are under the impression that they can no longer talk on their cell phones or text while driving. This is not the case. People can continue to talk and text as well as other tasks while driving, but if they commit a traffic violation or get into an accident while doing so, they can also be charged with an additional charge of failure to maintain control of their vehicle. If a driver runs through a stop sign, while trying to dial their cell phone, they can be charged with the failure to stop charge and a charge for failure to control the motor vehicle.

Many people say they did not hear much about the new law in the media and that their misconceptions about it all come from word of mouth. Residents feel a better job could have been done on covering the law and explaining what it actually says. While the new law is not currently in the books yet, it is article 2217 and will be added shortly.

The City of Bangor really hopes to see people starting to pay better attention while they driving. “The big goal right now is to educate people,” says Officer Jason McAmbley of the Bangor Police Department. In hopes that people will become less distracted at the wheel and focus more on driving.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 80% of accidents are caused by drivers who are distracted three seconds before the accident. Law enforcement hopes that the law will help stop people from being distracted as they drive. The initial fine for a first time offender will be under $50, for each subsequent offence, the fine will increase.

The state does have a law that prevents minors from talking or texting while driving. It is a primary offense to be under 18 and talking or texting while at the wheel. A primary offense is an offense that you can be pulled over for, whereas a secondary offense you cannot be stopped for.

A list of every state's cell phone laws can be found here.

Bangor Schools Combat the H1N1 Virus

Bangor, Maine – The Bangor School district has teamed up with the Maine CDC to try and stop the spread of the flu virus amongst school aged children. “We are doing the education and cleaning that has been recommended by the Maine CDC,” says Superintendent Betsy Webb of Bangor Schools. She says that the CDC has been very helpful and doing a good job of keeping her informed and up to date. The Maine CDC is also offering a blog, featuring weekly updates on the issue.

There will be a flu vaccination made available to students. Participation in the vaccination program is optional. They will be administered free of charge on September 25th in the Bangor High School Gymnasium. “Once an H1N1 virus vaccination is available, which we have been told is sometime late October, those will be available to students as well,” says Webb.


There will also be a flu clinic available to faculty members funded by insurance money and a $25 flu shot charge. This clinic will be held early in the morning on September 25th. There is no word whether or not an H1N1 vaccine will be made available to faculty yet.

Parents of Bangor school children have been informed on the issue. “We had papers come home from the superintended offering a free flu clinic at the end of this month,” says mother Marie Dagle Thompson whose daughter attends the Abraham Lincoln School. Parents are still remaining calm about the issue.


Mother Sarah McKay has a daughter attending the Abraham Lincoln School in Bangor. She says that she is not worried about the flu. “I don’t have too many concerns about the H1N1 flu. I think it’s been blown slightly out of proportion,” says McKay. She says that she is very happy with what the district is doing to keep people aware and it’s efforts to combat the issue.


Students are being educated on the proper ways to keep themselves clean. They are taught to frequently and thoroughly wash their hands and to make sure they sneeze and couch into a tissue or their sleeve. Student Cassie McKay shows us the proper way to wash our hands.