Cellphone ban gets House panel OK
Talking and driving could cost Tennesseans $50
NASHVILLE — Tennessee drivers operating vehicles while talking on cellphones could get slapped with tickets under a bill that passed a House panel Tuesday after a rollicking debate and a father’s plea for lawmakers to act.
Transportation Committee members’ discussions ranged from concerns about “overreaching government” and potential backlash from constituents to proponents arguing about responsibility and public safety.
It was approved after lengthy debate that included testimony from Doug Ralls of Brentwood, Tenn., whose 23-year-old son, Brian, died in 2009 when his car was struck by a distracted driver who lost control of her vehicle while reaching to answer a cellphone.
“The woman was driving in a
different direction on Interstate 40, lost control of her car and hit Brian’s car head on,” Ralls said. “She later told the troopers she had been reaching for her cellphone to answer it and pick it up to have her conversation and lost control. This bill addresses that completely.”
The bill would make handheld use of a cellphone while driving a Class C misdemeanor punishable by a $50 fine.
Drivers would still be able to use hands- free cellphones relying on Bluetooth wireless technology or phones that are aff ixed to secure spots in vehicles through the speaker- phone function.
Restrictions also apply to texting, although a current law already bans texting and driving.
The bill, sponsored by Rep. John Holsclaw, R- Johnson City, now goes to the House Calendar and Rules Committee, the last potential barrier for bills before proceeding to the House floor for final votes. The Senate companion bill has not yet been addressed.
Rep. Bill Sanderson, R-Kenton, agreed the Ralls crash was horrible and voiced sympathy about the tragedy but said, “I think I’m called against making emotional decisions.”
“Distracted driving has been with us since they made that first car, whether we’re distracted changing a station on the radio, eating a hamburger, putting on makeup, swatting a kid,” said Sanderson, noting Tennessee has distracted driver provisions already in statute.
He questioned whether it will lead in the future to lawmakers “passing law after law” on various specific distractions and wondered where it would end.
“I cannot support this bill, and I’m sorry,” Sanderson added.
Rep. Bill Beck, D-Nashville, an attorney, told Ralls and family members, “My heart goes out to you.”
The lawmaker said he has dealt with traffic cases on any number of occasions and “maybe one out of a thousand will admit being distracted.”
He said when he issues subpoenas he finds and obtains cellphone records and that “one out of three” distracted drivers were holding a cellphone or texting.
Col. Tracy Trott, of the Tennessee Highway Patrol, credited Ralls with passage of the bill in the committee.
Trott said distracted driving is “becoming one of the top issues in traffic safety. … We see it every day riding up and down the freeway.”
Trott said state troopers alone last year issued 7,500 citations based on various types of distracted driving and “due care” issues. He called Holsclaw’s measure a “good bill because it would save lives and reduce accidents.”
Contact Andy Sher at asher@timesfreepress.com, 615-255-0550 or follow via Twitter @AndySher1.