The Vermont Senate next week is set to take up a bill that would prohibit the use of hand-held cellphones and other devices while driving.
The House gave final approval Friday to a slightly amended H.62, which requires that drivers employ hands-free technology, such as Bluetooth, when using their cellphones while driving. The bill won preliminary approval Thursday after moving testimony from the floor.
Amendments were added on the floor Friday to exempt drivers of registered farm trucks or farm trucks or tractors that do not require registration, as long as the vehicle is performing farm work and the call concerns farm operations.
Another amendment requires that the device be anchored while activating or deactivating the hands-free system.
The bill was approved with both changes on a voice vote.
The measure heads to the Senate on Tuesday, when Lt. Gov. Phil Scott will decide whether it first goes to the Judiciary or Transportation committee.
Scott said he would consider the decision over the weekend.
Sen. Dick Sears, D-Bennington, chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Friday he has some concerns with the bill.
Reached while driving home in Friday’s snowstorm, Sears echoed comments by Gov. Peter Shumlin that it might be better to look at the issue of distracted driving as a whole, rather than one piece at a time. Shumlin, who opposes the bill, said essentially the same thing on WDEV’s Mark Johnson radio show Friday morning.
Sears also said he uses a hands-free phone while driving.
