(Host) The Vermont House and Senate have reached an agreement on a new ‘distracted driver’ bill.
The compromise bans texting by all drivers, and imposes new restrictions on junior operators.
VPR’s Bob Kinzel has more:
(Kinzel) There was never any doubt that lawmakers would pass a texting ban – there was enormous support for it in both the House and Senate.
The real fight came over the House’s plan to pass a highway safety bill that also included a ban on hand held cell phones, the primary enforcement of the seat belt law and new restrictions for younger drivers.
In the end, the final agreement was a classic compromise – both sides had to give a little.
The agreement includes the texting ban and new restrictions for junior operators but it does not address cell phone use by adult drivers or changes to the seat belt law. Senate Transportation chairman Dick Mazza said passage of the texting ban was his top priority:
(Mazza) "Last Fall, one of the things I heard over and over again from students as well as adults is that texting was getting to be a problem in Vermont as well as nationwide. And we felt that before we lost a life or two, let’s focus on something."
(Kinzel) During the negotiations with the House, Mazza held firm to his position that this isn’t the time to enact a cell phone ban for adult drivers:
(Mazza) "We thought that was an issue that deserved a lot more consideration, a lot more study, because of statistics nationwide. We didn’t want to muddy it up with too many things. We thought we’d address something first hand and get that done with."
(Kinzel) Moretown Rep. Maxine Grad is the vice chairwoman of the House Judiciary committee. She says the bill will have a big impact on 16 and 17 year old drivers. That’s because the agreement makes it illegal for them to use any electronic devices and because the primary enforcement of the seat belt law will now apply to them:
(Grad) "We were able to keep, I would say, much of what we wanted in terms of junior operators and our most vulnerable drivers…So protecting our youth has also been a priority of the House and we’re doing that here."
(Kinzel) While Grad says she’s disappointed that the agreement doesn’t include a cell phone ban for adult drivers, she says she hopes that the compromise will affect adult driving behavior:
(Grad) "What I’m really pleased about is that this bill will really – while we’re focusing on young drivers – it will help us look at our own driving habits as we’re telling our youth not to use cell phones, not to text, to wear their seatbelts. I think it will educate all of us and really sets strong public policy we can all aspire to."
The agreement is expected to receive strong approval in both the House and the Senate.
For VPR News, I’m Bob Kinzel in Montpelier.