Arizona Capitol Times reports that the state Senate passed the controversial Arizona bill to stop texting while driving on Monday with a vote of 19-10. Now the bill will make its way to the House for approval.
This significant vote could mean that Arizona DUI attorneys could some day have more a role in distracted driving cases. At least 20 other states have already enacted laws that ban texting while driving, and many of these states have a stricter penalty for texting behind the wheel compared to the law that Arizona legislatures are proposing. This bill also does not mandate a penalty for making or receiving calls while driving. It brings up the question: Will Arizona's distracted driving laws be strict enough?
The passage of the bill would 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.
Some political analysts say that there's still a lot of work to be done in order to make the no texting while driving bill a law. Before the bill even goes to the House floor for a vote, it will need committee approval. In the Senate, the bill had been postponed a few times, and it failed when it was first brought to the Senate floor on March 2.
Proponents of the bill say that texting while driving poses an obvious threat to highway safety in Arizona. The Arizona Republic reports that distracted driving in general causes anywhere from 4,000 to 8,000 crashes a day in the United States.
Related Resources:
- Arizona Looking To Pass a No Texting While Driving Bill (Phoenix DUI blog)
- Distracted Driving Should Not Take A Backseat (FindLaw's Injured blog)
- Distracted Driving: More States Strengthen Cell Phone, Texting Laws (FindLaw's Injured blog)
- Find a Phoenix DUI Attorney (FindLaw)
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