Nebraska: Cell phone laws, legislation

Distracted driving update: Sen. John Harm’s bill that would prohibit text messaging while driving has been approved by the transportation committee and now awaits debate by the Legislature.

Current prohibitions:
Drivers under the age of 18 with learner’s permits or intermediate licenses are prohibited from using cell phones and text messaging.

2010 legislation:
Nebraska Legislative Bill 945: Would outlaw text messaging by all drivers. Fines from $200 to $500, plus three points on the motorist’s license. Approved by the Transportation and Telecommunications Committee on March 2 and sent to the full Legislature. (Harms)

2010 Nebraska legislation notes:
An Associated Press survey of Nebraska state legislators found 22 of them in favor of a texting ban. Five were opposed. (Six were unsure and 16 did not respond.)

A man who lost his 16-year-old daughter in an accident linked to another teen’s distracted driving testified Feb. 9 in support of LB 945. “I’m sure you wouldn’t want to tell me (in case of a death), ‘I’m sorry, I was just making a very important call. I was just dialing,” Rob Reynolds said. The Reynolds family started a safe driving campaign in honor of their daughter, Cady. The transportation committee approved the bill on March 2.

Previous legislation notes:
The ban on young drivers’ use of cell phones was enacted despite the governor’s veto. The bill was LB 415.

Sen. Norm Wallman, Cortland, who opposed LB 415, said the law shouldn’t apply to just teenagers. He told the World Herald that he would support a bill prohibiting all drivers from using cell phones.

“I figured if we are going to restrict teenagers we should restrict us all,” he said. “I’m definitely against texting.”

“Technology is getting ahead of us,” said former state Sen. Jim Cudaback of Riverdale, who sponsored an unsuccessful 2006 bill to prohibit cell phone use while driving. “(Legislative bills) shouldn’t be reactive but proactive.

“Nebraska is conservative, so some senators may need to see a need for this law before they approve it,’” he said. He introduced a similar bill in 2001.

National Transportation Safety Board representative Kathryn Higgins testified before a Nebraska Legislature panel in 2006, urging limits on cell phone use by young drivers.