Teen Driver Cell Phone Ban Returns to Legislature

(KCPW News) Utah teens would be doing a lot less talking on the road, under a bill that cleared a Senate committee yesterday. Senate Minority Leader Ross Romero wants all drivers under 18 to put down their cell phones while behind the wheel.

“In 2006, of the 1,174 teen crashes resulting from distracted drivers, 195, or 17 percent, were attributed to cell phone use while driving,” he told a Senate committee.

Romero says he feels passionately about Senate Bill 45 because of the obituaries he reads caused by car accidents.

This is the second time Romero has tried to pass this bill. Last year, his proposal would have made it a class C misdemeanor, but this time, it’s just an infraction.

“It allows us to limit the overall penalty, and so whereas a careless driving provision citation has a possible citation of $275, this will make a fee of no more than $50,” said Romero.

SB 45 would provide exceptions for teens calling a parent or reporting an emergency. The bill passed out of committee yesterday on a three-to-one vote, and will now be heard on the Senate floor.