New Arizona bills could ban cell phones while driving

PHOENIX - Using a cell phone while driving could soon be illegal in Arizona.

A group of new laws circulating the state House and Senate aim to make the roads a safer place by restricting the use of cell phones.

The bill that could have the greatest impact, HB 2312, would make it crime to drive while distracted in any form, cell phone use included.

Another bill seeks to ban texting behind the wheel, but one of the most likely to pass and become law targets teen drivers 17 years old and younger.

If SB 1056 is approved, teens under the age of 18 caught using their cell phones behind the wheel could lose their driver’s licenses for a full year. The law would only apply to those with a graduated license; otherwise known as a “G” license.

The bill’s creator Sen. John McComish says the penalty may sound severe, but studies show distracted drivers are the No. 1 cause of all accidents.

He said a similar law passed four years ago, the Teenage Safe Driver Act.

"Teenage traffic fatalities in the state of Arizona have gone down 61 percent,” Sen. McComish, R-District 20 said. “Now, I'm sure there are some other factors in there, but I believe the bill we passed four years ago had a great impact on that."

Sen. McComish told ABC15 that with the new addition of SB 1056, he expects teenage traffic death rate to go down even further.

ABC15 talked with several different people Sunday around Tempe about the new proposed laws. Most said they loved the idea of making it illegal to use a cell phone while driving, but some younger drivers said they viewed it as more of an inconvenience.

"Say when we were driving over here, we had to use his phone GPS to get to Mill Avenue,” 17-year-old Chloe Stillons said standing with her friends. “If we didn't, we'd probably be more lost than we were earlier."

"It's taking away our right to call our moms, call our girlfriends or boyfriends when we're driving,” 17-year-old Mike Vicuna said. “If we're going to a party, we can't call them up because we'll get a ticket."

Across the country, 35 states currently ban texting while driving. California and New York are just two of the states that go as far as to make it illegal to talk on a cell phone without a headset while driving.