S.C. Pol Wants to Ban Teen Drivers’ Cell Phone Use

A South carolina lawmaker says he will file a bill before the end of the year than would ban drivers under age 18 from using a cell phone while driving.

Rep. Lanny Littlejohn wanted to extend the ban in his bill to all drivers, but said he got stiff opposition from communications companies.

“These cell phones are unreal,” said Littlejohn, R-Pacolet, who introduced a similar bill that died last session.

Sen. Larry Martin has asked the Public Safety Department for statistics that link cell phone use to automobile accidents.

But instead of a cell phone ban, Martin supports giving more money to state troopers so they can be more aggressive in stopping people who are driving dangerously because they are distracted.

“There is a growing problem with people not paying attention — being distracted — when driving,” said Martin, R-Pickens.

Controlled national studies have shown drivers are more distracted by operating the stereos in their cars than by such activities such as eating or operating voice-activated cell phones, Public Safety spokesman Sid Gaulden said.

State troopers have reported 424 traffic collisions in South Carolina since 2002 in which cell phone use was indicated as a primary contributing factor. The wrecks killed one person and injured 191 others, according to the Highway Patrol.

Four states and the District of Columbia have banned cell phone use while driving.

Last year, 38 states were considering bills to deal with cell phone use while driving, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Eric Wolf, 29, of Irmo, pulled into a Columbia restaurant parking lot Tuesday, talking on his mobile phone.

A hospital chaplain, Wolf said he uses his phone to set up appointments and talk to people who need comfort as he travels from hospitals to homes and hospice centers.

Wolf said he is against banning talking on cell phones while driving, but could support not allowing drivers under 18 to talk on the phone.

“I complain about people who do it, but I’m guilty of it, too,” Wolf said.