Bill banning cell phones while driving goes to Virginia House

Shenandoah Valley, VA – Every day, you look around and see people driving vehicles while on their cell phones, not paying attention. It’s not just a few drivers here or there, but the rule rather than the exception.

A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) shows that drivers that use cell phones while driving are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.

Soon, in Virginia, this may be a less common occurrence.

After repeated tries in the past, this week the Virginia State Senate has passed Bill 517, banning talking on a cell phone while driving, unless using a hands-free cell device. It passed by a vote of 25 for and 15 against.

The ban has a few exceptions; it will not apply to the operators of emergency vehicles, drivers who are stopped or parked, GPS or other digital dispatch systems (i.e., OnStar), or anyone using a phone to report an emergency.

The bill, sponsored by Senator Thomas Norment, will phase in penalties for drivers who remove their hands from the steering wheel to use their electronic gadget. Beginning July 1, 2010, Virginia drivers who talk on the phone without it being in hands-free mode will face a $20 fine; the fine goes up to $50 for repeat violations. On July 1, 2011, the fines will be hiked to $100 for the first violation, and then $200 thereafter.

The bill will now move to the Virginia House of Delegates for consideration.

According to IIHS, here is the current status of cell phone bills across the United States:

- A jurisdiction-wide ban on driving while talking on a hand-held cellphone is in place in 7 states (California, Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Utah, and Washington) and the District of Columbia. Utah has named the offense careless driving. Under the Utah law, no one commits an offense when speaking on a cellphone unless they are also committing some other moving violation other than speeding.

- Local jurisdictions may or may not need specific state statutory authority to ban cellphones. Localities that have enacted restrictions on cellphone use include: Oahu, HI; Chicago, IL; Brookline, MA; Detroit, MI; Santa Fe, NM; Brooklyn, North Olmstead, and Walton Hills, OH; Conshohocken, Lebanon, and West Conshohocken, PA; Waupaca County, WI; and Cheyenne, WY.

- The use of all cellphones while driving a school bus is prohibited in 17 states and the District of Columbia.

- The use of all cellphones by novice drivers is restricted in 21 states and the District of Columbia.

- Text messaging is banned for all drivers in 19 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, novice drivers are banned from texting in 9 states (Delaware, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Texas, and West Virginia) and school bus drivers are banned from text messaging in 1 state (Texas).

Tags: accidents, ban, car, cell phone, driving, hands-free, House, Senate, Virginia