anyone who has waited behind someone talking but not moving when the light changes or watching the car ahead drifting all over the road should be for this bill. even drunks who drive are focused albeit not very well. cell phone users are terriorists on the highway

While I am opposed to this sort of meddling in principle, if they decide to do it, they need to stay consistent and ban all distracted driving. It is a misperception that cell phone use is more dangerous than other distracted driving. In fact, "a August 2003 report from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety that concluded that drivers are far less distracted by their cellphones than by other common activities, such as reaching for items on the seat or glove compartment or talking to passengers." It is not fair to single out cell phone usage, but still allow these other things. And if talking on cell phones is allowed on hands-free (which, again, studies have not found to decrease accidents), it is a boon for the hands-free headset industry and another $50-$75 that consumers have to spend in a sagging economy.

While I agree that texting while driving is dangerous, passing a law that bans it is useless. The law in practicality would be very difficult to enforce and probably would only have a small impact on people texting, so why waist the time and effort when the only real result is a feel good because you did something.

This Monday. Beltway near Joppa Road. Heading east. Blonde in center lane - although she was drifting into my lane! - holding cell phone to ear with left hand, waving cigarette with right hand.

I do not know how she was steering. I dropped back behind her and exited the beltway early, knowing she was about to tie up the beltway with an accident.

Let's just ban driving and be done with it.

Please, let the General Assembly do their jobs, passing the budget, and use their other time not to debate the unenforceable, but to repeal the unnecessary and stop abuses of the public by their body.

Look around when you are driving. I find that often the majority of drivers around me are using cell phones. Where are all the crashes? Where is all of the mayhem? Just as my observations are unscientific and anecdotal, so are the witnesses calling for unwarranted intrusions into our lives.

Crashes on the roads are caused by actions or failures to take appropriate actions. if there is not already a specific prohibitions of the activity, i.e., failing to reduce speed, following too closely, speed greater than reasonable or prudent, unsafe lane change, etc., there are broad prohibitions against reckless and negligent driving.

It is not the role of the legislature to spend time debating things that are only before them to make someone who has suffered in some way to feel better. The argument, "if it saves one life", without regard for the costs to all without any real evidence that any life will be saved, is specious and should be rejected. The stories of our committee chair people interrupting and quiting witnesses in legion. This is a case where it should continue.

These bills deserve to placed in the infamous drawer in the chairman's desk until after the session.

They should ban texting and cell phones in general. If someone needs to make a call, they should get hands free capability. It is insane to think it is okay to let someone drive and impact the lives of other people, while they are distracted on the phone. It never fails, when you are behind someone driving slower then the speed limit or someone drifting all over the place, they have a cell phone attached to their ear. How many more lives need to be taken before we figure this out.

Nanny State run amok!! It is virtually unenforcable, which alone says that it is bad law. Our legislators, with nothing of more value to add to the public discourse, are out of control!! Get off our backs!

Sorry folks I'm a born and bred Marylander living in Alabama and I don't care if your hands free or not YOU CAN NOT drive and talk at the same time. I have been behind you in both states and you don't know what you are doing when you are talking. You slowup and then you speedup. You change lanes and don't check anything but the inside mirror. But seriously no law is going to stop it. We have become a me society. All laws are for everyone but ME.

Hey Craig, I thought everybody was supposed to drive under the 'speed limit'. Speeding kills far more people than calling while driving ever will. While a liberal democracy reduces itself to the lowest common denominator, remember the limits of your abilities are not necessarily mine.

A ban on celling and texting while driving makes sense, but who's going to enforce it? The use of headlights during daylight periods of rain or snow has been law in MD for over 10 years, but fools still disregard it, even though it's just common sense. Have you ever heard of anyone being ticketed for that?

What we really need is a ban on cell phone use in public elevators, theaters, supermarket checkout lines, etc.

With so many detriments on the road it would behoove a driver to engage with any distracting devices. That being said, passing a law such as NY did to ban cell phone usage while driving is about making money! It creates another avenue for state revenue while arguably saving lives in the process.
If enforced properly, without abuse, this legislature could deter those who have difficulty driving even with limited distractions!

Gute Arbeit hier! Gute Inhalte.