Transportation Committee Debates Limits on Cell Phone Use While Driving

Last week, the Joint Committee on Transportation heard testimony on a series of proposals to restrict cell phone use while operating a vehicle.  A number of possibilities were discussed, including banning text messaging while driving, requiring hands-free headsets, and a full ban on cell phones while behind the wheel.  During the hearing, we heard a heartbreaking testimony from Melissa Martin, whose 17 year old daughter died tragically in 2007 in an accident caused by texting while driving. 
 
Most members of the committee were in agreement that texting while driving is not safe.  At the hearing, I argued passionately that while cell phones can be dangerous behind the wheel, we need to do a better job of reminding people that when they are driving, it is their responsibility to focus on the road.  Often times it is not so much the phone itself that causes accidents, but the distraction that the conversation creates.