S.C. steps closer to banning drivers from texting

Text messaging while driving on South Carolina roads may soon become illegal if a bill that passed a South Carolina House subcommittee this week becomes law.

The bill, which would ban the use of communication devices like cell phones and tablets for purposes other than talking, would impose fines and violation points for those who are caught.

If the law is passed, only seven states in the country in which texting while driving is still permitted will remain.

"It is very clear that most people favor a ban on texting while driving," said S.C. Rep. Bill Taylor, R-Aiken, a member of the House subcommittee on Education and Public works. "South Carolina is one in eight states that doesn't have some sort of ban on texting. We all understand distracted driving. ... We see it in front of us, behind us and beside us on a four-lane highway."

The bill states that "a person may not drive a motor vehicle on a roadway while using an electronic communication device to compose, send or read an electronic message."

Aiken County Sheriff's Office Capt. Troy Elwell said that distracted driving is a problem, and, while the potential law might be difficult to enforce, there is a need for awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.

"I think texting and driving is just as dangerous as driving under the influence of any drug or alcohol," Elwell said. "It takes your attention off the road and focuses your attention on your lap or in your hand, below the dash."

Elwell said that in the past, texting while driving has been believed to be a contributing factor in car wrecks.

Often, Elwell said, law enforcement officers will initiative traffic stops for what they believe is a drunken driver but turns out to be someone who was using a cell phone to text and not paying attention to the road.

Those individuals might be cited for violations like improper lane changes, following too closely, failing to yield or other traffic infractions, but not for the texting.

If the bill becomes a law, a person who is caught texting and driving could see a fine of $100, pay a $25 Trauma Care fund surcharge and have two points against a driving record for improper use of an electronic communication device while driving a motor vehicle.

The possible ban would not affect those talking on a cell phone, using a hands-free or voice-activated mode or texting while parked or stopped.

The bill also carries the possibility of felony charges for someone who causes great bodily injury or death because of the use of a cell phone or other device to message while driving.

A person convicted could face fines of upward of $5,000 or one to 10 years in prison if death results from attention due to text messaging.

"This carries with it some real consequences," Taylor said. "Laws don't always change people's behaviors; people have to decide that the wrong thing to do is to be texting while driving."

The bill is expected to go before a full committee in the next couple of weeks, Taylor said.

Anna Dolianitis is a reporter for the Aiken Standard. She covers the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site, as well as court and legal matters affecting Aiken County. She has been with the Aiken Standard since August 2010.