Texting-While-Driving Ban Moves Through The Arizona Legislature

By Lauren Gilger, Steve Goldstein
Published: Thursday, February 21, 2019 - 12:18pm
Updated: Thursday, February 21, 2019 - 2:21pm
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Bills that would ban drivers from texting behind the wheel are once again moving through the Arizona Legislature.

Arizona is one of three states without an explicit ban on texting while driving, although the issue has come up at the state Capitol each of the past several years.

On Wednesday, House and Senate committees each approved measures to prohibit texting-while-driving. Jon Amores, director of government relations for the Arizona Medical Association said it’s a health issue.

A new survey finds 86 percent of likely Arizona voters support the Senate version of the bill, with nearly 100 percent saying they oppose texting while driving itself. Amores said putting a banning law on the books would give law enforcement another tool to crack down on the practice.

The Senate version of the bill, Senate Bill 1165, won the approval of that chamber’s Transportation and Public Safety Committee on Wednesday, while a house version got the OK from its chamber’s Transportation Committee.

To talk more about this, Will Humble, executive director of the Arizona Public Health Association, joined The Show.

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