Texting Ban in Missouri Losing Steam in State Senate

(File Photo)

By: Monte Schisler, News Director
Posted: Thursday, January 26, 2012

A proposed compromise to expand Missouri’s texting while driving law is losing support in a Senate Committee that was trying to work out details for the legislation.

Springfield television station KSPR is reporting that the Senate Transportation Committee heard testimony Wednesday on a bill that would prohibit all drivers, not just those 21 and under, from texting while driving.

Some have proposed making texting a secondary offense, meaning law enforcement would have to pull a motorist over for something else, before they could write a ticket for illegal texting.

The Highway Patrol supports making texting a primary offense, enabling troopers to stop anyone they see texting at any time.

Similar bills in the past have failed in the state legislature.

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A proposed compromise to expand Missouri’s texting while driving law is losing support in a Senate Committee that was trying to work out details for the legislation.

Similar bills in the past have failed in the state legislature.

Comments (4) - comment on this story

Roy - 01/26/2012 6:54:50 AM

Come on folks, lets give the police the tools they need to protect all the drivers from those nuts that text while driving. The police have managed to reduce traffic deaths over the years because they are out there in the mix of things to get unsafe drivers off the road. There is one thing for sure, if anyone of these legislators who are fighting againist this bill had a loved one injured or killed by a texting driver, they would be the first one to be beating on their desk and shouting that this no texting while driving bill had to be passed now!!!

rb - 01/26/2012 10:14:18 AM

Lets see....how many will get killed while all this rubbish is going on? Sad...

- - 01/26/2012 9:52:10 PM

I would just like to know how a LEO would prove such a thing unless the person was actually honest and owned up to it. "Were you texting and driving?" - "No." or just no answer. Where does it go from there? How could the officer possibly see what is on a 3.5" screen while driving? Couldn't they just be looking up contacts to make a phone call? I'm not condoning it at all and I've had my fair share of run ins with idiots that are trying to multitask, but I'll tell you right now, I wouldn't incriminate myself. I'd sure like to hear an LEO's perspective on this because this just seems like they'd be stuck in court longer (remember folks, not all officers are on duty 24/7 and many have to go in their day off and spend 4+ hours in court while they could be at home with their families.) More paperwork + more time cops have to spend at work = Doesn't sound like much of an incentive for officers to bother.

Willy - 01/27/2012 7:00:19 AM

You would think that all the national attention being given to the recent multiple fatatlity accident on I-44 up in Franklin County directly resulting from a distracted, texting driver(11 texts in the 10 minutes preceding the wreck he caused)that the MO Senate would act. Oh well, they also failed to remove the requirement of a front license plate saving $2-$3 million per year in a budget crisis so it figures.