The dangers of texting, distracted driving and hands free technology have been previously discussed, in the February 11, 2015 and February 26, 2015 blogs.
The Arizona legislature is now addressing the well-known problem, distracted driving, a major cause of motor crashes. A proposed Arizona legislature Senate committee bill prohibits sending text messages while driving.
A supporter of the law is a brother of deceased DPS officer, Timothy Huffman. Huffman died on the job, when a tanker truck struck his patrol car on Interstate 8, outside of Yuma. The truck driver is accused of looking at his phone and failing to see that the Interstate was closed.
The proposed law would have Arizona join 44 other states that prohibit text messaging by drivers. The proposed law applies only to entering a text message, not for looking at a message. It also allows drivers to enter and look at GPS information and phone numbers when they are dialing.
Those in support of the law argue that the law would be a deterrent to texting and would help educate the public about the dangers of driving and cell phone use. Tammy Huffman, Timothy’s sister-in-law, stated with regard to a new law, that she would love to see Tim living on in the future and protecting people.