Should It be Illegal to Talk on the Phone While Driving?

March 27, 2015

Morgan Fogarty,

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – North Carolina Senate Bill 393 aims to reduce distracted driving and ultimately, crashes, by outlawing talking on the phone while driving. One of the primary sponsors is Republican Sen. Jeff Tarte (District 41 – Mecklenburg). It would also outlaw looking at pictures, reading online articles, Internet browsing, playing games, sending, receiving or typing emails: basically anything you can do on a smart phone.

The bill is also known as “The Brian Garlock Act.” In 2008, Garlock was a rising junior at Butler High School. He was killed when he took his eyes off Pineville-Matthews Road to make a phone call. The bill has the backing of AAA of the Carolinas. “We’re talking about teenagers, 60 percent of their crashes involve distracted driving and four of the last six seconds before a crash, they’re in their phones. That’s scary,” says Tiffany Wright with the AAA Carolinas Foundation for Traffic Safety.

But let’s not kid ourselves. Teens are far from being the only offenders who use their phones while driving. East Charlotte resident Katie Moser says, “I counted the other day on the way to work, there were literally 20 people on their phones, in traffic. It’s crazy. That’s how wrecks happen.”

The bill would allow people to use hands free devices to talk and would make exceptions for emergency calls to police, fire or medic. Violators would be fined $25 – $100 and repeat offenders would get points on their license.

Drivers we talked to support the idea of outlawing phones while driving. East Charlotte resident Greg Davis says, “That’s still a distraction, holding (the phone) up, you don’t have two hands on the wheel, it’s not smart, either.” Cotswold resident Beth DiDomenico says, “I think it is a good idea that we’re not allowed to use them at all.”

One “side effect” of this bill: it would also add teeth to the existing no texting while driving law in North Carolina, which is difficult to enforce. And just a reminder: it’s also illegal to text and drive in South Carolina.