Senate Passes Hand-Held Cell Phone Driving Ban

STATE HOUSE, RI—A bill that State Sen. Susan V. Sosnowski has submitted every year since 2007 to ban the use of handheld cell phones while driving passed the Senate 35-2 this week.

A companion bill is currently being held for study before the House Judiciary Committee.

Sosnowski's bill got the blessing of the full Senate last year as well, but it never got out of the House.

Sosnowski has been submitting the legislation repeatedly in an effort to make "appropriate adjustments to our statues" as technology changes, she said.

"Unfortunately, it is no longer enough to fine people for texting while driving because talking on the phone while having one hand off of the wheel is equally distracting,”Sosnowski (D-Dist. 37, South Kingstown, New Shoreham) said. “Admittedly, many of us have grown accustomed to using mobile devices in almost every aspect of our lives, including in our cars and trucks. This is especially true for our younger population, who grew up with this kind of technology embedded in their daily lives. It’s important not to forget that every time we step into a vehicle, we are taking our lives and the lives of others into our own hands."

If the House bill gets a vote and the legislation is signed by Governor Gina Raimondo, Rhode Island would join Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire in banning the use of handheld devices by drivers.

The new law would outflow the use of any "non-hands-free personal wireless communication device while operating a motor vehicle, except for public safety personnel or in emergency situations."

Violators would face a fine of up to $100, waived for first-time offenders who can show they've bought a hands free accessory.

Texting while driving is illegal in Rhode Island but has been difficult for police to monitor and enforce, especially because there's no foolproof way to tell if someone is dialing a phone or sending a text message.

The bill has support from the state Attorney General, AAA Rhode Island and other advocacy groups.

David Reposa, AAA spokesman, told the Senate Judiciary Committee this week that texting and driving is an epidemic and the bill would hammer home the message of eyes on the road and both hands on the wheel.

According to the state house Legislative Press Bureau, more than 220 million people in the United States subscribe to wireless services, and it is estimated that as many as 80 percent of those subscribers use their phones while driving, according to a report released this month by the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2013, about 3,154 people in the U.S. died in crashes that involved a distracted driver, and 424,000 people were injured.