PROVIDENCE – Lawmakers on Smith Hill are considering a raft of bills that would ban sending, writing or reading text messages while driving, with supporters arguing that the practice poses a public safety threat.
State Rep. Joseph M. McNamara, D-Warwick, has introduced a bill that would make texting while driving a state traffic violation, punishable with a fine of up to $100 for the first offense and up to $200 for subsequent offenses.
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However, the violation would not become part of an individual’s driving record or be reported to his or her insurance company, according to McNamara’s office.
“Any distraction while driving is a bad distraction, but texting may be one of the worst,” said McNamara, who has filed the same bill in prior years. “I don’t know of anyone who is that good a driver to be able to keep their eyes on the road at the same time they are writing, sending or reading a text message.”
He added that it is “especially dangerous for young drivers, who are still getting a feel for their automobile and the road.”
McNamara’s bill would allow motorists to use a cell phone behind the wheel if they are reporting a crime, calling for emergency help or preventing injury to a person or property. Emergency vehicle drivers would be exempt from the rule.
State Sen. John J. Tassoni Jr., D-Smithfield, and Senate Minority Leader Dennis L. Algiere, R-Westerly, have submitted their own bill to ban texting while driving, with fines between $50 and $100, according to The Westerly Sun.
Another proposal in the House would hit minors with a $100 fine and revoke their license until their 18th birthday on their third offense, the paper reported. The two House proposals were considered at a recent hearing.
In a 2008 study by Nationwide Mutual Insurance, 19 percent of all drivers, and 37 percent of those between the ages of 18 and 27, admitted to texting while driving. The results were even higher in a similar study released last year by the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis.
At least 18 states have banned texting while driving, and nearly two dozen are considering instituting a ban, according to McNamara.
In 2001, then-Gov. Lincoln Almond vetoed a texting-while-driving ban passed by the General Assembly. Shortly thereafter, New York became the first state to put such a ban into law.
Not everyone is on board with the idea, though. A Facebook group called “I Text Message People While Driving and I Haven’t Crashed Yet!” has more than 1,300 members.
It is illegal for Rhode Island drivers under the age of 18 to use a cell phone while driving. In neighboring Connecticut, it is illegal for any driver to use a handheld cell phone, regardless of age, although drivers over the age of 18 are allowed to talk on a hands-free device.
Additional information about the R.I. General Assembly, including the House and Senate daily calendars and listings of measures introduced each day, is available at rilin.state.ri.us.
