OR Bill Targets Drivers Distracted By Their Phones

February 12, 2013, 2:33 pm

Drivers caught talking or texting behind the wheel in Oregon would feel the pinch of doing so if a bill passes through the Oregon Legislature.

The bill by Senate President Peter Courtney would make the penalty much stiffer by increasing the fine from $250 to as much as $1,000.  Courtney, a Democrat, says he wants to see distracted driving treated the same way as driving drunk.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee watched a video demonstrating the dangers of texting and driving, and heard from officers who support the bill.  The proposed law is intended to make drivers take the law more seriously.

There's a separate bill in the House that seeks to increase the fine to $2,000.

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