AUGUSTA —A bill to increase the safety of Maine’s roads
and highways by banning the use of handheld devices by drivers was defeated
Wednesday after the House of Representatives upheld a veto by Gov. Paul LePage.
The bill — sponsored by Sen. Bill Diamond, D-Windham —
would have banned the use of handheld devices, except to communicate with law
enforcement or emergency responders. It would have allowed the use of
hands-free devices, devices secured to the dashboard, and cellphones set to a
hands-free mode. Maine law already prohibits texting while driving, but other
uses of handheld devices are legal. That discrepancy makes enforcement of the
anti-texting law nearly impossible.
“As cellphones and other electronic devices become more
and more ubiquitous, our roads are
becoming more and more dangerous,” said Sen.
Diamond. “The research is in: Distracted driving, particularly driving while using
a mobile device, increases the likelihood of accidents and motor vehicle
fatalities. I’m disappointed that this law has been defeated, but we’ll keep
trying to do the right thing and make Maine safer for motorists, pedestrians
and anyone who uses our roads.”
Pat Moody from the American Automobile Association (AAA)
testified in favor of the bill earlier this year, saying that the current spike
in highway fatalities is directly attributable to cell phone use. Additionally,
use of any handheld device quadruples the chance of a traffic accident. The AAA
enthusiastically supports the bill.
The bill, LD 1089, was enacted by the Legislature on July
20 and vetoed by Gov. Paul LePage on August 1. On Wednesday, the Senate
overrode the governor’s veto with a 24-10 vote, more than the two-thirds
threshold needed for the bill to become law over LePage’s objection. The House
killed the bill when 54 members voted to uphold the veto.
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