Senate rejects ban on cell phones while driving

HELENA – Montana's state Senate voted 31-18 Wednesday to kill a bill that would have made talking or texting on a cell phone while driving a punishable offense.

Senate Bill 278, sponsored by Sen. Christine Kaufmann, D-Helena, would have let law enforcement officers pull drivers over if they are doing anything on a phone that takes their hands off the wheel or eyes off the road. Drivers in violation could be fined up to $100.

While opponents agreed people should not be texting while driving, they said banning all cell phone use would be excessive.

“The cell phone adds a lot of productivity to small businesses,” said Sen. Bruce Tutvedt, R-Kalispell. He also said the $100 fine was excessive, and using a cell phone should not be a primary driving offense.

Sen. Kelly Gebhardt, R-Roundup, said the bill would actually make driving more dangerous, because drivers would pull off the road to answer their phones and may cause accidents rejoining traffic.

Kaufmann said her bill would have helped remove some of the dangerous distractions drivers deal with.

“It’s as dangerous to be talking on your cell phone as it is to be driving drunk,” Kaufmann said. She also said restricting cell phone use is only one example of how the law makes choices for drivers when it comes to safety.

“We accept certain limits on our freedom when we get behind the wheel,” Kaufmann said.

-by CNS correspondent Molly Priddy