A bipartisan group of lawmakers from the House and Senate and a coalition of law enforcement groups have united this year to require hand’s free cell phone use while driving.
Currently the law only prohibits the reading of email or text messages and manually entering letters or text in the device. Under the proposed legislation all other uses would be banned unless the device is hands free. Limited exceptions include using the phone for navigation or audio transmissions when the device is physically mounted.
Lakin Ashlyn was killed last year, when she lost control of her car while Snapchatting. Her family supports the legislation and have circulated a pledge to put phones down in her memory.
Tabitha Clark is Lakin’s Cousin.
“I promise to never drive distracted for the safety of myself and those I share the road with. I will not be included in the statistics and I will encourage others to drive safely. To end distracted driving it starts with me!”
The legislation passed the Senate last year but stalled in the house.