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Opposition to bill that bans drivers from using hand-held electronics

Posted at 7:39 AM, May 31, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-31 10:01:12-04

A proposal to ban drivers from using hand-held electronic devices didn't get a vote Tuesday, but it did get some opposition.

A spokesman for the National Motorists Association told a House committee that the bill is too broad and criminalizes some things that aren't dangerous. One example he gave, is the bill does not allow drivers to make a hand-held phone call during a traffic jam or at a red light.

James Walker, Spokesman for National Motorists Association said, "There are a lot of very short actions you can do with a cell phone including voice calls that can be done safely and responsibly if the driver is aware of the conditions around him. We don't see criminalizing those. We don't think that's right and we think it has every possibility to be used as a for-profit sting by police authorities."

The bill bans drivers from using any hand-held electronic device unless the vehicle is pulled off the road and stopped. There are exceptions for mounted devices that require only a finger swipe, like a GPS system.