LANSING – Teenage cell-phone users will have to hang-up the phone before driving, under legislation reported by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. The bill (HB 5133) would prohibit any driver under the age of 18 from talking on a cell phone while driving. Minors that are caught talking and driving could receive a $50 ticket.
Rep. David Law (R-West Bloomfield) said he introduced the bill after reading studies from the National Transportation Safety Board that reported correlations among age, cell phone use and motor vehicle accidents.
“We want to do everything we can to keep teenagers focused on the road,” he said. “So, we’re focusing on the segment of the population that is young and inexperienced on the road.”
Law said he hopes by getting the word out, cell-free driving will be common practice for young drivers.
“If they build that habit while they’re younger, hopefully it will carry out into adulthood,” he said.
David Zolna from the West Bloomfield Township Police Department testified that young people often depend on quick reflexes to prevent car accidents, and they lose that reflex when they’re talking on the phone.
“You take away the experience of an older driver, and take the rapid reflex away, and you now have, just about the equivalent of an intoxicated driver,” he said.
Law said he hasn’t received any opposition to the bill, adding that teenagers have even come forward in support of the idea.
The Deputy Sheriffs’ Association and Cingular Wireless also expressed support for the bill, which was unanimously reported to the House.
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