House bill aims to strengthen distracted driving laws in Maryland
Posted: 3:10 pm Tue, February 7, 2012
By
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland lawmakers want to enable police to pull someone over if they are talking on a handheld cell phone while driving.
The House Environmental Matters Committee is holding a hearing on Tuesday that would make it a primary offense, instead of a secondary one.
That means a police officer could pull someone over after observing a driver talking on a handheld cell phone. Under current law, police can only issue a citation for talking on a cell phone while driving after another violation is observed.
The bill is being sponsored by Delegate James Malone, D-Baltimore County, and Delegate A. Wade Kach, R-Baltimore County.
Now, nine states and the District of Columbia enforce the law as a primary offense.
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Comments
Hi there – I work for a personal injury law firm here in Houston, TX. We’ve seen the number of cases involving distracted driving increase significantly. Stricter laws are a good step to curbing this dangerous practice. Greater awareness of the problem, safer cars and safer devices are also pieces of the puzzle.
Anyhow, thanks for sharing! – Aly
Stricter laws are necessary; I still see people talking on cell phones every day while driving even though it is banned in CA.