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A distracted driving bill making its way through the Missouri legislature has received support from a local sheriff and a driver, according to a local report.
If passed, Senate Bill 56 would require hands-free cell phone use for drivers of all ages and hit first-time offenders with a $50 fine and two points against the driver’s license. Further offenses could bring enhanced penalties.
Marion County Sheriff Jimmy Shinn told WGEM-TV that he and his deputies often see distracted drivers, especially among young people, on the local roads.
"There’s been multiple fender benders, there’s also been some serious traffic crashes in which individuals, looking down at their phone texting, looks up, and smashes into the back of a semi," Shinn said, adding that some accidents resulted in fatalities.
Missouri and Montana are the only states that do not have a law prohibiting people over 21 from texting while driving. (Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Lydia Gard, a Palmyra, Missouri, resident, told the station that the state law would be "a good idea."
"It’s not over the top and not too crazy, it’s just kind of in the middle of it," she said.
Missouri's Senate Bill 56 would require hands-free cellphone use while driving. (Melissa Erichsen/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Missouri is one of just two U.S. states that does not have laws prohibiting those over 21 from texting while driving; the other state is Montana.
The Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety reports that there were 382 fatalities involving a distracted driver between 2017 and 2021.
The majority of the distracted drivers were between the ages of 20 and 39 years old, according to publicly available data.
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Angela Nelson, AAA Missouri vice president of public relations and government affairs, told FOX2 St. Louis last month that passing a hands-free law is a common-sense way to combat rising traffic fatalities.
A billboard in St. Joseph, Missouri, against texting while driving. (Michael Siluk/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
"The Missouri legislature has failed to act on basic traffic safety measures, like distracted driving, and because of that inaction the number of serious injuries and deaths on Missouri roads is rising," Nelson said.
State Sen. Jason Bean, who sponsors the bill, told the outlet that the state "should acknowledge and reflect" that distracted driving can have the same consequences as impaired driving.
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"A hands-free law, like Senate Bill 56, will send the right message to Missouri drivers that it’s never safe to manipulate your cell phone while behind the wheel," Bean said.
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