Coalition Supports Bill to Ban Teenage Texting While Driving

A bipartisan coalition of Mississippi state lawmakers, Cellular South and the Mississippi Department of Public Safety is supporting efforts to win passage of a bill that would restrict cell phone texting while driving by teenagers.

Led by State Senate Pro Tempore Billy Hewes, R-Gulfport, the coalition includes Senators Tom King, R-Petal, Sampson Jackson II, D-DeKalb, and Lee Yancey, R-Brandon, along with regional mobil network operator, Cellular South and Mississippi Department of Public Safety Commissioner Steve Simpson.

Lawmakers are considering a Mississippi House of Representatives amendment to Senate Bill 2280 by Senator Kelvin Butler, D-Magnolia, which would prohibit 15- and 16-year-old teenagers with intermediate licenses and temporary learning and driving permits from texting while driving.

Under the legislation, violators of the texting ban could be fined up to US$500 for each infraction and up to US$1,000 if the driver is involved in an accident while texting on a cell phone. Nine states already prohibit teenagers from texting while driving and another seven states have a text messaging ban for drivers of all ages.

"This legislation is a good first step," Hewes said in urging passage of the bill. "It is our role as leaders to step in where there is an absence of policy. This language protects motorists while at the same time recognizing the benefits of cellular innovation. We, as parents, enjoy a greater level of comfort knowing our children can call if they have a flat, an accident or any other emergency. At the same time, good defensive driving requires the full attention of the driver."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Mississippi has led the nation for the last decade in the percentage of teenage driving fatalities with a rate of 35 deaths per 100,000 population. "Texting while driving is just too dangerous for anyone at any age," Hewes said, noting that many of Mississippi's rural roads have higher speed limits, less traffic and fewer nearby medical services.

If adopted, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety plans to enforce the texting while driving prohibition as a primary law. "This prohibition on texting by teenagers while driving can and will save lives," said Commissioner Steve Simpson. "There are hands-free options for the appropriate use of a cell phone in a car. While this is not comprehensive legislation, it stands to correct or curb what has become a dangerous habit among our next generation of drivers."

Posted to the site on 20th March 2009