The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved legislation that would offer grants to states that enact laws prohibiting texting and using a handheld device while driving.
The legislation, S. 1938, sponsored by Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., stipulates that 50 percent of the grant money a state receives must be used for education about the dangers of texting and using a cell phone while driving, for traffic signs about the state distracted driving law, and for enforcement of the law.
The bill also directs the administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to establish a Distracted Driving National Education Program, and directs the secretary of Transportation to establish a research program to study distracted driving by passenger and commercial vehicle drivers.
The Federal Communications Commission would also have to submit a report to the Senate committee on distracted driving.
Insurer associations said they supported the bill.
Ben McKay, senior vice president of federal government relations for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America, said, "We applaud the committee's passage of Sen. Rockefeller's important legislation to save lives and protect drivers. Insurers are dedicated to working with lawmakers to promote traffic safety."
David Snyder, vice president and associate general counsel for the American Insurance Association (AIA), said, "This legislation is important because it will serve as the anchor for all related efforts to modify unsafe driving behavior, including public education and technology."
Kathy Mitchell, federal affairs director for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies (NAMIC), said, "By encouraging states to take action against the use of phones and texting while driving, this bill will help save lives."
NAMIC noted that an amendment added by the committee would also bar auto manufacturers from installing entertainment device screens within view of the driver.
AIA said the bill stipulates that the secretary of Transportation prescribe regulations on the use of electronic or wireless devices by operators of commercial motor vehicles and school buses, prohibiting their use in circumstances where it interferes with safe operation of the vehicles.
