New Mexico Joins Ranks of States Eyeing Distracted Driving Crackdown

12/16/2009

New Mexico has joined a growing nationwide trend of taking steps to ban the use of cell phones and texting devices behind the wheel.

Governor Bill Richardson announced this week that he will introduce legislation banning these increasingly common forms of distracted driving, and that the measure would also apply to hands-free devices that are currently used by school bus drivers and other public transportation workers.

"Driver distraction is a major cause of accidents and the use of cell phones while driving is increasingly a problem. We've all seen drivers swerving around the road while talking on the phone and texting, putting the safety and lives of New Mexicans in danger," said Richardson.

Richardson also cited data from a University of Utah study which concluded that a person talking on a cell phone while driving is actually more impaired than a person who has a .08 blood alcohol level. Under the proposed law, violators would be fined up to $200, with exceptions for medical and law enforcement emergency calls.

According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 17 states plus the District of Columbia currently ban texting while driving, and seven states currently ban the use of cell phones behind the wheel.

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