Legislature might cut off drivers on phones
04:51 AM CST on Monday, February 5, 2007

By TERRENCE STUTZ / The Dallas Morning News
tstutz@dallasnews.com
AUSTIN � Like many Texans, Jeff Wentworth has had his share of close calls with other motorists paying more attention to their cellphones than the road.

The San Antonio lawyer considers himself lucky that he has not had a collision with any of the distracted drivers.

"I've been involved in several near-accidents, and I'm convinced that in half those cases, the driver that nearly caused them was blissfully unaware that we almost collided," he said.

Unlike most Texans, Mr. Wentworth can try to do something about the situation. The state senator from Central Texas is sponsoring legislation that would require any driver talking on a cellphone to use a hands-free device. Violations would subject the motorist to a Class C misdemeanor and a fine of up to $500.

"If you're going to use a cellphone while driving your motor vehicle in Texas, you ought to do it with a hands-free device so that you can keep both hands on the wheel and not obscure your peripheral vision," said Mr. Wentworth, R-San Antonio.

To save time on the debate over cell phones in cars, see this thread.