Community Corner

Connecticut Wants Crackdown on Distracted Drivers

A proposal in the state's General Assembly would also hike the fines for distracted driving violators.

By Eileen McNamara.

State lawmakers want a crackdown on the use of cell phones in cars, backing a measure that would alert insurance companies when drivers are cited for cell phone use while driving.

A bill pending in the General Assembly’s Transportation Committee would make distracted driving violations, which include talking or texting on a cell phone while driving, reportable to insurance companies and would hike the fines for such violations.

Backers of House Bill 6033 say it would help cut down on drivers who text and drive or talk and drive because of the possibility of higher insurance rates if they are caught and ticketed.

"When someone gets hit in the pocketbook, that's when you remember it," state Rep. Antonio "Tony" Guerrera, D-Rocky Hill, co-chairman of the Transportation Committee, told the Associated Press recently. "That's the key here, I think, to end up having some type of reporting system on that."

The measure appears to have broad support on both sides of the political aisle.

The legislature’s Finance, Bonding and Revenue Committee overwhelmingly approved it on April 12, as did the Transportation Committee in mid-March. The bill is awaiting a vote in the House.

Besides reporting distracted driving violators to their insurance companies, the bill also would increase fines for distracted driving. Fines for first-time offenders would increase from $25 to $50, second offender fines would jump from $250 to $350 and any violations thereafter, would increase from $400 to $500 per ticket.

The bill would also require tickets for distracted driving to be placed on a motorist’s driving history.

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