This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2009, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A Utah House committee advanced a bill Monday that would ban both cell-phone use and text messaging by drivers.
HB95, sponsored by Rep. Phil Riesen, D-Holladay, exempts two-way radios and cell phones used to report emergencies or crimes, but otherwise bans all wireless communications by motorists including hands-free calling.
It addresses a problem that has led to four Utah deaths in each of the last three years, Riesen told the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee.
Unlike other legislation proposed this session, it makes phoning while driving a misdemeanor crime instead of a traffic ticket, and it allows officers to pull over motorists simply for using a phone.
Responding to recurring legislative angst over limiting personal freedoms, Riesen said this restriction is no less important than others already passed.
"It doesn't restrict personal freedoms any more than passing laws against drinking and driving," Riesen said.
The committee voted 5-3 to support the bill. The same committee previously supported a measure that would ban texting alone, but did not advance a bill that would have required hands-free phones for anyone talking behind the wheel.
-- Brandon Loomis