Committee passes bill aimed at curbing driving distracted by phones and texting

The Senate Commerce Committee approved a bipartisan bill Wednesday that would encourage states to prohibit drivers from talking on their cell phones or text messaging while driving.

The Distracted Driver Prevention Act of 2010, sponsored by chairman Jay Rockefeller, (D-W.Va.) and ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), would offer grants to states that enact laws to combat distracted driving. The bill will now be sent to the full Senate for a vote.

“All would agree that driving while distracted poses serious safety risks not only to the drivers, but to passengers, pedestrians, and anyone sharing the road,” Hutchison said. “I think it is most appropriate for the states to handle this issue and devise laws that best meet their particular needs. Our legislation does not threaten states with lost highway funds if they elect not to enact a distracted driving law.”

However Sen. Roger Wicker, (R-Miss.) voiced opposition to the bill, arguing the federal funds are unnecessary.

“We don’t need to spend over $100 million to encourage the states to act. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, over 40 states have enacted some form of distracted driving laws and just in the past year 13 states have either enacted new or changed existing laws," Wicker said. "The states are a laboratory for ideas in this area. A top-down way of telling states how to design their traffic laws is the wrong approach.”

A companion bill introduced by Rep. Eliot Engel, (D-N.Y.) was referred to the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit in November, where it remains.

Some minor changes made to the bill include making fiscal 2011 the first year of state grant eligibility, authorizing a distracted driver education program for fiscal years 2011 and 2012 and allowing states to permit the use of hands-free devices for drivers while remaining eligible for the grants.

The committee also added a provision requiring the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to issue a rule banning screens that display TV or video content visible to the driver while driving.