Associated Press reports that Arizona's bill to stop texting while driving was recently put on hold, as the Senate skipped over the bill that was scheduled for discussion last Tuesday.
The bill's sponsor, Senator Al Melvin of Tucson, says that he wants to hold off on the bill until there's a cooling-off period from tension and controversy in the Senate surrounding issues relating to the budget and the reauthorization of payday loans.
The bill itself has become quite controversial in the Senate. Proponents hope that a ban on texting while driving will decrease traffic collisions on the road, making highways safer. The Arizona Republic reports that distracted driving in general causes anywhere from 4,000 to 8,000 crashes a day in the United States.
The Arizona bill would make texting behind the wheel a civil traffic violation punishable by a $50 fine, or a $200 fine if the violator is involved in a traffic accident.
Yet opponents of the bill like Senator Ron Gould, R-Lake Havasu City, say a no texting law would not be an effective measure. He noted that the city of Phoenix has a no texting law, but yields few citations. He also feels that police officers would need to self-incriminate in order to get the necessary evidence to issue a citation.
"All you say to an officer is, I was dialing my phone," Senator Gould told
the Arizona Republic. "Then he says, Let me see your phone,' and you say, Let me
see a warrant.' You essentially have to self-incriminate."
Related Resources:
- Distracted Driving Should Not Take A Backseat (FindLaw's Injured blog)
- Texting While Driving Laws on The Rise (FindLaw's Law and Daily Life blog)
- Locate an Arizona DUI Attorney (FindLaw)
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