Legislators Ponder Some New

Rules For The Road

By John Christoffersen

Associated Press

HARTFORD — Quit yakking on the cell phone and drive. Stop shaving and pay attention to the road. Get the snow and ice off your car.

Oh, and by the way… Welcome to Connecticut.

Distracted drivers are capturing the attention of state lawmakers, who have proposed a host of bills to crack down on what they consider hazardous habits. Also on the highway agenda is a bill to put a greeting sign on Interstate 95 at the New York-Connecticut border.

The safety proposals are raising concerns about enforcement.

Senate Minority Leader Louis DeLuca, R-Woodbury, is focusing his attention on a bill that would create an offense called inattentive driving. Drivers who fail to pay attention and “maintain a proper outlook” would face fines.

“Everybody’s seen people putting on makeup, combing their hair, shaving and reading the newspaper,” Sen DeLuca said. “This is not a witch hunt or some sort of anti-cell phone bill. It will simply give the police the means to properly cite a common moving violation.”

Several other states, including Delaware, Idaho, and Wisconsin, have laws against inattentive driving, Sen DeLuca said.

Woodbury police Officer Thomas Story, who raised the issue with Sen DeLuca, said distracted drivers are a common cause of wrecks.

“The major cause of rear-end accidents that I have seen over the last 18 years are mostly due to inattentive driving,” Officer Story said Tuesday.

But enforcing the bill would be difficult, said state Sen Biagio “Billy” Ciotto, co-chairman of the Transportation Committee. He said the bill should be refined to clarify what inattentive driving might cover.

State Rep Richard Roy, D-Milford, is proposing a bill again to ban the use of hand-held cell phones by drivers. The bill would allow the use of hands-free adapters for mobile phones.

The bill has failed in past sessions after critics argued that the ban would be difficult to enforce and that motorists are more distracted by other activities. Supporters contend the bill would reduce accidents.

Rep Roy appears more determined to get the bill passed this session: His sister was seriously injured in a weekend car accident in East Haven. Police attributed the crash to a driver allegedly distracted while reaching for a cell phone.

“I think it strengthens my resolve to get something on board,” Rep Roy said Tuesday.

Sen Ciotto said he was skeptical that a ban would stop the widespread use of cell phones by drivers. But he said he wants to form a task force involving police, cell phone representatives, and others to study the number of accidents caused by cell phone use and develop recommendations.

Another bill, sponsored by state Rep Lawrence Cafero, Jr, R-Norwalk, would impose fines on motorists who fail to remove accumulated snow and ice from cars and trucks before hitting the road.

Rep Cafero said sheets of flying snow and ice spiraling off vehicles pose a hazard for other motorists.

“It can be a terrifying, helpless experience,” Rep Cafero said. “These sheets of snow or ice are sometimes large enough to cover an entire car windshield.”

If motorists are worried that Connecticut is becoming too restrictive or punitive, there is a bill to create a sense of hospitality on the highway. The proposal directs the state Department of Transportation to erect a sign over I-95 reading: “Welcome to Connecticut – the Gateway to New England.”