Morgan Wants Teen Cellphone-Driving Ban

A bill filed by House Democratic Leader Danny Morgan would make it illegal for teenagers to use cellphones or text while driving.

"Teenagers have their hands full just learning to drive," said Morgan, D-Prague. "If you add talking on the phone or texting friends into the mix, you're just creating the recipe for an accident. My legislation will provide a little incentive for those kids to focus on driving instead of talking on the phone."

House Bill 2964, by Morgan, would make it illegal for anyone younger than 18 to "operate a motor vehicle on a street or highway while using a cellular telephone or electronic communication device while the motor vehicle is in motion."

Teenagers caught talking while driving would face a $25 fine.

The bill contains exemptions in emergency situations requiring police or medical attention.

The link between cell-phone use and driver inattention has been the subject of several formal studies in recent years. The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study, conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (released in April 2006), found that almost 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds of the event. The study found that the most common distraction is the use of cell phones.

Motorists who use cell phones while driving are also four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves, according to a July 2005 study of drivers in Perth, Australia, conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

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Wesselhoft Moves To Restrict Cell Phone Usage

People need to stop using cell phones and keep both hands on the wheel when driving, says Rep. Paul Wesselhöft. The Moore Republican plans to file legislation to increase punishments for cell-phone-using drivers.

Under Wesselhöft's bill if an automobile accident can be attributed to cell-phone use, the penalty will be a mandatory $1,000 fine and a mandatory 20 days in jail along with any other penalties for other crimes associated with the accident.

"I hope a result of passing a bill like this will be to strongly encourage drivers to pull off the road to a safe area if they must use their cell phones," said Wesselhöft. "This will save people from serious injuries or death. There's no reason for more innocent lives to be lost because a phone call or text 'couldn't wait.'"

Wesselhöft noted that recently in New York a 17-year-old driver slammed head-on to a truck, killing her and four other recent high school graduates. The driver was text messaging friends at the time of the accident.

A research study by the National Highway Traffic Administration (NHTSA) showed drivers looked at the road less while dialing manually (just 40 percent of the time) than when using hands-free dialing (50 percent). "I hope my bill is taken seriously because I think saving people's lives is a serious issue," said Wesselhöft. "If my bill passes the public will be amazed to see how many accidents can be attributed to cell phone use."

Wesselhöft said his bill would not prohibit the use of cell phones when driving but will have penalties for those who cause accidents due to their lack of paying attention to the road.

Citing the Oklahoma Highway Safety Office, Wesselhöft said cell phones have been a contributing factor in hundreds of automobile accidents in recent years:1998-98 accidents; 1999-107 accidents; 2000-93 accidents; 2001-134 accidents; 2002-235 accidents; 2003-337 accidents; 2004-567 accidents; 2005-775 accidents; 2006-802 accidents.

The OHSO also reported that in 2006 there were 3 fatalities and 36 individuals incapacitated in accidents where cells phones were a major factor.

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