Proposed State Law Targets Cell Phone Drivers
Jack Fink Reporting
(CBS 11 News) DALLAS Drive down any street, and you’ll likely see a driver talking on a cell phone. Many of us are guilty of it ourselves. “I myself have been talking on the phone and not paying attention, and have almost had an accident,” said local driver Bob Holt.
Now, a newly proposed state law would require drivers to use hands-free devices when talking on their cell phones.
Supporters of the bill say that studies have shown how cell phones distract drivers and lead to car accidents. The most recent Texas statistics show that the number of cell phone related car accidents jumped 44 percent from 716 in 2000 to more than 1,000 in 2001.
The bill would also prohibit drivers from text messaging, using a Blackberry, and using a laptop computer.
“My daughter lives in California,” said local driver Margarite Holt, “and I’m absolutely appalled that she drives on the highway text messaging on her phone. She’s going to have an accident and I’m going to be a real sorry person.”
“I don’t use a headset, I just use a phone, but I wouldn’t mind using one,” said local driver Ben Mercer. When asked why he did not use a headset, Mercer replied, “It’s inconvenient. I always forget it at home.”
Safety advocates believe that using a headset is less of a distraction. However, a federal study found that it’s the conversation, not the phone, that causes the distraction. It also found that headsets pose the same risks as the phones themselves.
Bill Holt disagrees. “If you’ve got two hands on the steering wheel, that’s twice as safe as having just one hand on the wheel,” he said.
In 2005, a similar bill never received a hearing in the Transportation Committee.
Police officers, firefighters, paramedics and anyone dialing 911 would be excluded from the law. If approved, the law would go into effect next January.
The new session begins in Austin next Tuesday.
Link: http://cbs11tv.com/topstories/local_story_001204807.html
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