A bill to be considered this week by the Senate Transportation Committee would let police pull a vehicle over if they suspect the driver is texting.
Senator Tod Bowman, a Democrat from Maquoketa, says current law only allows law enforcement to ticket an adult texter if they’re committing some other violation, like driving above the speed limit.
“The police wouldn’t need to see something else wrong,” Bowman says. “If they see you texting, they would have the ability to pull you over and ticket you for distracted driving.”
State law does make texting behind the wheel an illegal act for teenagers and Bowman says adults need to abide by the same rules.
“Almost all states have it as a primary offense,” Bowman says. “This is a first step in how we need to look at how we improve our road safety.”
Bowman saw a driver texting while passing a semi on a highway during this past Monday’s snow storm. Bowman says statistics show distracted drivers are 23-times more likely to be involved in a traffic accident.