news-record.com

RALEIGH — North Carolina’s proposed ban on texting while driving will take its cue from Virginia’s new anti-texting law.

A subcommittee of the state House Ways and Means and Broadband Connectivity Committee agreed to adopt elements of Virginia’s new law, which passed that state’s legislature in late February. The Virginia law bans drivers from using their telephones’ text messaging and e-mail functions.

The revision eliminates the original North Carolina proposal advanced by Rep. Garland Pierce of Scotland County. The original bill would have banned many common cell phone functions, including playing music and navigation.

It also replaces a much watered-down edition of the bill that confined itself to text messages but still allowed e-mail and other functions.

The ban has been advanced as a way to promote safety. Pierce thinks drivers are creating great risk to themselves and others by taking their eyes and attention off the road to send and receive text messages on their mobile phones.

The new proposal, expected to return to the full committee Wednesday, covers text messages and e-mail.

If it passes, it would be illegal for a driver to “manually enter multiple letters or text in the device” to communicate with someone else, or to “read any e-mail or text message transmitted to the device or stored within the device” unless the car is legally stopped or parked.

People who violate the ban would face a $100 fine plus court costs, which are currently $121.

Drivers still would be allowed to press buttons on the phone to dial a number, look up someone’s number in the phone’s directory and other such activities. They also could use navigation features. Many cell phones now have satellite navigation electronics and software.

Under the proposed law, it would be legal to use voice-activated features to send text messages or e-mail. Rep. Thom Tillis said cell phones will soon be able to accept and transcribe dictated messages.

The state Senate is considering similar legislation.