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Senate Mulls Cell Ban for Some Drivers: Bill Would Prohibit Those Under 18 Using Phone While Driving

Posted on: Tuesday, 21 February 2006, 09:00 CST

By Natalie Neysa Alund, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

Feb. 21--Juvenile drivers take note: The state Legislature is considering a bill that prohibits juveniles using cell phones while driving. The penalty? Having a level-one instruction permit or a level-two intermediate driver's license suspended for up to 90 days. Senate Bill 219 would prohibit drivers under age 18 from using hand-held and hands-free wireless communication devices. The bill would make driving while using cell phones a secondary offense -- meaning police officers can only enforce the law if the minor gets pulled over for another offense, such as speeding. A level-two immediate driver's license is for drivers who have held the level-one instructional permit conviction-free for 180 days, according to state code. It's an important bill for traffic safety said Sen. Mike Oliverio, DMonongalia. "All the national studies have showed the younger drivers are most prone to be involved in auto accidents, and the additional distraction of a cell phone, we think, further contributes to the possibility of a crash," said Oliverio, a cosponsor of the bill. Oliverio is vice-chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the next committee to review the bill before sending it to the full Senate. They are up against the clock. Sunday is the last day for bills to pass their house of origin. If it passes the Senate, it goes to the House of Delegates. Ultimately, it would have to pass the Legislature by midnight March 11 -- when the Legislature adjourns. Sen. John Unger, D-Berkeley, chairman of the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure committee, said there is support for the bill -- it already passed his committee. And, he thinks there is support for it in the Judiciary Committee as well. "I think there has been evidence that is starting to come out that shows the distraction that cell phones create," Unger said. However, Unger said the number of juvenile drivers involved in West Virginia is not available. "We don't have the data here in West Virginia to substantiate that." A similar bill, Senate Bill 12 -- introduced in mid-January -- died in the Senate Transportation and Infrastructure committee. That bill dealt with all drivers -- not just juveniles. Unger said the committee favored Senate Bill 219 instead and thought it would gain more support from the full Legislature, by just dealing with minors. The bill has some support from the general public, too. Legislators are not the only people who support the bill. Westover City Clerk Lahomma Fowler -- a Morgantown resident speaking as a private citizen -- admits she is a cell phone junkie while driving. However, she said she likes the idea that the bill is restricted to drivers under 18. "They don't have enough experience to be able to react quickly if they would need to," she said. Fowler said not all drivers are irresponsible while driving and chatting on the phone. "Personally, I won't talk on the phone on the interstate and during rush hour, unless it's a complete emergency. But I'll use it at other times when I feel comfortable," she said. Maidsville resident Megan Trippett, who also uses a cell phone while driving, also backs the proposed bill. "I know I watch the road while I'm driving, but you have other people who are only concerned about what's going on on the phone and not what's in front of them. "I guess I would agree with it because then you could have both hands on the wheel at all times," she said.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Dominion Post, Morgantown, W.Va.

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Source: The Dominion Post (Morgantown, W.Va.)

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