Rep. Sands: Make School Zones Cell-Phone-Free Zones for Motorists

As the state Legislature has struggled to impose texting and cell phone rules for motorists, state Rep. Franklin Sands, D-Weston, wants drivers to at leasthang up the cell phone and stop texting while driving through a school zone.

Sands' proposal, HB 783, would impose a $30 fine for using a cell phone or similar electronic device when a motorist is inside a school zone.

It is of paramount importance that we keep our children safe at school," Sands stated in a release. "Banning cell phone usage of every type by drivers within the school zone is a good first step. No parent wants to be accidentally complicit in the death or injury of schoolchildren because they were momentarily distracted while driving by texting or talking on a cell phone."

The ban would not preclude someone in a parked vehicle in a school zone from using a cell phone. Also, emergency medical personnel would be exempt from the ban, as would people requesting emergency assistance or reporting illegal activity, a traffic crash or road hazards.

The bill has an uphill battle in the Republican-dominated Legislature, and has yet to find a Senate sponsor.