news-record.com

RALEIGH - Sending a text message or e-mail while driving would be illegal under bills filed in the House and Senate that proponents say will save lives by keeping drivers focused on the road.

Violators would be subject to a $100 fine and have to pay court costs under two of the most-talked-about versions of the prohibition.

"I've always felt there's an appropriate time and place for everything, and I would venture to say that text messaging ... is not the appropriate thing to do while driving," said Rep. Maggie Jeffus, a Greensboro Democrat who lent her support to legislation making it illegal to send a text message while driving Tuesday.

She called the measure "very much needed" and pointed to a recent Greensboro case as a reason to enact the bill.

In April, a car hit UNCG professor Mark Schulz as he biked home from work. The driver in the case was texting when she ran into him.

"I'm glad there is a bill, but I've not had a chance to read it," Schulz said, not wanting to endorse any specific language before doing more research. "There definitely is a need for a law."

After his accident, Schulz sustained injuries including crushed vertebrae, broken ribs and a concussion. He's back at work and riding his bike again, although he can't ride long distances.

"I can't run or play basketball ... but I'm certainly a lot better off than I was the day after," he said.

Schulz said that he would hope any new law would be coupled with a public education campaign as well as enforcement measures.

There are at least two versions of the no-texting bill, one introduced by Rep. Nelson Cole of Reidsville and the other, with a companion in the Senate, sponsored by Rep. Pricey Harrison of Greensboro.

During a news conference Tuesday, AAA Carolinas, AT&T and North Carolina Insurance commissioner Wayne Goodwin expressed their support for the version of the bill Harrison is signed onto.

According to sponsors of that bill, similar bans have been enacted Alaska, California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Minnesota, Louisiana and Washington.

In at least the past two legislative sessions, bills that would ban all drivers from using mobile phones in some way have been introduced and failed.

The General Assembly did pass a law in 2006 that made it unlawful for teenage drivers on graduated drivers licenses to use a mobile phone while driving. An Insurance Institute for Highway Safety report issued in May showed little decrease in teen drivers talking on mobile phones as a result of that law.

However, backing of the no-texting measure are optimistic their bill could have an impact.

"I keep seeing people driving down the road weaving in and out of lanes ... and they've all got a cell phone in their hands," Cole said.

The problem of people using electronic devices while driving has become so pervasive, he said, his colleagues are more likely to approve some sort of restriction this year.

"It's going to be difficult to enforce," Harrison said. "But we need to make it clear that it's not good driving practice."

Contact Mark Binker at (919) 832-5549 or mark.binker@news-record.com