AUGUSTA, Maine — The Maine Senate unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday designed to protect Mainers from distracted driving.
L.D. 165, "An Act To Prohibit the Use of Handheld Phones and Devices While Driving", requires that any electronic devices used while driving be hands-free.
Sen. Bill Diamond (D-Windham) introduced this bill. It passed unanimously in the Senate on June 18.
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that about 3,000 people die and 400,000 people are injured each year in the United States in crashes that involved distracted driving.
Though smartphone use while driving is banned in 47 states, the study points to it still being a common problem.
Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says that though 97 percent of drivers say texting or emailing while driving is dangerous, 45 percent admit to having read a text or email while driving in the past month. 35 percent admit to having typed one.
L.D. 165 faces further votes in the Maine Senate and House.
