Using phones while driving would be banned in Utah under renewed proposal

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — A Utah lawmaker is gearing up to try again to target distracted drivers by cracking down on holding phones while driving.

Rep. Carol Spackman Moss (D-Holladay) told KUTV 2News she will likely run a bill that last failed in 2021, believing passing it would deter people from doing things that contribute to distracted driving crashes.

“You’re driving this huge vehicle and people are dying because of distractions,” Moss said.

KUTV 2News recently traveled along the Wasatch Front on the lookout for distracted drivers. It didn’t take long to find people using their phones or eating food as they drove.

In one instance, in Salt Lake City, our cameras spotted a driver typing out a message – taking both hands off the wheel to do it as their car kept moving.

Utah Highway Patrol Sgt. Cameron Roden wasn’t surprised to hear that.

“Unfortunately, that it something that we see regularly,” Roden said, adding that distracted driving is a bigger problem than people realize. “Shaving, doing makeup, eating food a lot of times. Phone is going to be our biggest number one.”

Roden said that translates into crashes, although firm data can be hard to come by.

“Law enforcement a lot of times has no way to prove that a crash was caused by a distraction other than what the driver tells us,” said Roden. “A lot of times they omit that part when it comes to reporting their accident.”

Moss said she believes her bill would help reduce distracted driving on the roads by making handheld cell phone usage a primary offense, even if it’s just an infraction.

“Good laws with consistent enforcement coupled with education changes behavior,” Moss said.

But she has some work to do, first. Republican opposition sank her bill in a House committee in 2021, even though she had a GOP sponsor on the Senate side. Moss said she plans to contact some Republicans to try to get enough support to move it over the finish line.

UHP said it doesn't have a position on her bill yet, but Roden said the behavior of many drivers does need to change.

“There are so many things that keep people from focusing on driving,” Roden said.