House votes for ban on text messaging while driving vehicle

MONTGOMERY — The Alabama House passed a bill Thursday that would prohibit motorists from sending or reading text messages on a cell phone while driving. 

The bill by Rep. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, passed the House 92-4 Thursday. It now goes to the Senate for debate. 

McClendon, a retired optometrist, said he believes text messaging is a major distraction and said banning the practice while driving would save lives.

“It’s frustrating to get behind one of these drivers who is drifting from lane to lane while he text messages,” McClendon said. 

Alaska, Connecticut, California, Louisiana, Minnesota, New Jersey, Washington and the District of Columbia ban text messaging while driving.

Nine other states ban it for novice or teenage drivers.  Rep. Spencer Collier, RBayou La Batre, voted against the bill. Collier, a former state trooper, said he believes it would be hard for law enforcement officers to enforce the ban. 

“It’s going to be hard for the officer to identify if the driver is text messaging,” Collier said.

He said most law enforcement officers that he has talked to oppose the bill. The bill would fine drivers $25 for a first violation, $50 for a second and $75 for each one after that. 

The House added an amendment by Rep. Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, that changed the bill so that only one point would be assessed against the driving record for each violation.