Extreme ‘Distracted Driver’ bill deserved to die in committee

The so-called distracted driver bill that would have expanded the state’s ban on driving while using your phone is officially dead. It died in committee.

“The votes just weren’t there,” said Rep. Judy Clibborn, D-Mercer Island, chairwoman of the House Transportation Committee, talking to the Everett Herald.

This initially surprised me because legislators definitely gave the impression they had the votes. But Rep. Clibborn gives the impression that each time she spoke to someone about the bill, they came up with a different reason why they didn’t support it as written.

But it’s pretty clear why it failed – and I’m glad it failed. It was too extreme!

I understand saying “Hey, don’t text while driving!” It can be dangerous to drive down I-405 while texting a friend to say you’ll be late to the movie. I get it. But this bill would have made it illegal to use your phone when stopped at a traffic light. That’s insane.

You can safely use your phone at a stop light. We’re not children. We know how to multi-task. I can safely send a text or read an email when stopped at a stop light. I can safely change the GPS on my phone when stopped. I can safely switch from that Taylor Swift song (I swear I don’t know how she got on my phone) to that George Ezra song while at a stop light.

Under the law, as written, you’d have to pull off the road or be in an emergency to use the phone legally.

“I’m disappointed,” said Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, to the Herald. “In my research about the necessity of this bill, I came to know what a real threat to our youth distracted driving has become.”

Respectfully, I think she’s taking her concern and going too extreme with how to combat it. I think this bill would have passed if it didn’t pretend there was some inherent remarkable danger in using a phone in a car when it’s stopped.

I think a big problem here is generational. An older set of folks (legislators) didn’t grow up with technology the way kids did and so they have this assumption that because they can’t use it safely, kids can’t either. This isn’t commentary on driving while using the phone; it’s all about when you’re at a stop sign or stop light or stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on Mercer or I-405. It may cause delays in traffic (that’s another topic), but it’s safe in my opinion.