This week, Pennsylvania became the latest state to put forth a law that makes it illegal to text while driving. And now another state is lining up to do that very same thing.
The South Carolina House of Representatives voted 93-15 to make texting while behind the wheel a crime that carries a fine of $100. If the car is in motion, the texting is considered a primary offense, but it won’t be against the law to text while the vehicle is stationary.
But the law hasn’t been passed yet. It still has to go through one more House vote, at which point the issue will be brought in front of the Senate to receive the final approval. This could happen as soon as next week.
According to estimates by AAA, 87% of the population thinks there should be a law in place to limit texting and driving, and their findings also show distractions such as texting cause more than 8,000 crashes per day.
However, that’s not to say that everyone is for the potential law. 15 representatives dissented, citing the existence of rules that already limit distracted driving behavior. They also call into question the broad wording of the measure.
As a personal injury lawyer in San Diego, I applaud any state that tries to make their roads safer. I’ll be paying careful attention as a San Diego car accident lawyer to what other states jump in line to put bans on texting.