Whether it's talking on a cell phone, applying makeup, or inhaling a meal while on the go, drivers and their distractions are increasing in number and frequency. In particular, the proliferation of text-messaging devices have increased the amount of the little notes being sent. Because typing one of these short messages still requires a driver to focus somewhere other than the road, it's come under fire from several states recently in the form of legislation that attempts to outlaw the practice.
Just last month, Washington's House of Representatives unanimously passed a bill that makes typing and sending text messages on cell phones or BlackBerries a traffic offense if done so while driving. The bill's language, which was sponsored by Representatives Joyce McDonald and Dawn Morrell, states, " A person operating a moving motor vehicle while reading, manually writing, or sending a text message on an electronic wireless communications device is guilty of a traffic infraction." It allows Washington State Patrol to cite drivers with a second-degree negligent driving offense if they are observed committing the act, which typically results in a fine of $111.
Arizona and Connecticut also have bills in works, and both pieces of legislation have similar language. However, Connecticut punishes guilty offenders with a $500 fine, much steeper than those proposed for Arizona and Washington.
The bills all make exceptions for those operating emergency vehicles, moving motor vehicles that are also operating an amateur radio and who holds a current, valid amateur radio station license issued by the federal communications commission, and those messages used to report illegal activity, summon medical help, or prevent injury to a person or property.
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