Mississippi Looks To Ban Texting While Driving

COLUMBUS, Miss. (WCBI) – It’s a growing trend and a national epidemic that kills 11 people each day…texting while driving.

Soon, Mississippi could join the 44 other states that ban text messaging while behind the wheel.

Mississippi House of Representatives members are moving ahead with a ban on  texting and using social media while driving.

A similar bill was killed in the 2014 legislative session.

House Bill 389 would not only ban texting and social media use, but also sending or reading emails while driving.

The fine would be $25 until July 1st 2016 and then it would raise to $100.

Some in opposition to the ban, question its enforceability and State Representative, Tyrone Ellis, agrees, that would be the toughest part.

“The house and the senate will get together and they will work out the differences of that particular bill. Trying to put more clarity in terms of how it’s to be enforced, that’s going to be the difficult part,” said District 38 Representative, Tyrone Ellis.

Ellis compares the texting ban to the seat belt law, which was enforced more than two decades ago.

“When we first enacted the seat belt law, people were like ‘well how are you going to enforce it or how do you know if I’m wearing a seat belt’ but we just know. Officers go to school, they’re trained to look at certain things and they reject it at first but then after a year or two, they begin to warm up to it and finally people when they get in a car put their seat belt on,” said Ellis.

Mississippi is one of only six states that do not have a texting ban.

Ellis says the reason this bill is on the table again is because so many people are affected by it.

“It finally hit home. Enough people experienced someone getting harmed or getting killed as a result of texting because it becomes obvious when the law enforcement comes around. They can tell whether texting was involved, the phone is lying there, the message is there,” added Ellis.

The bill will now go to the senate for consideration, where Ellis says there should be no issues in getting it passed.

The house voted 98 to 20 to approve the bill.