Nebraska lawmakers are putting the brakes on distracted driving with a proposed bill that would make texting behind the wheel a primary offense. Currently, pulling over a texter requires another traffic violation.
This change would empower police to stop motorists solely for fiddling with their phones on the road.
The bill draws a firm line between responsible and risky phone use. Hands-free calls and texts read aloud by car systems remain legal. But holding a phone and letting your eyes stray from the road?
That’s an instant ticket under the proposed law.
Photo byAlexandre BoucheronUnsplash
“All the other states have done this. We need to get on board,” Central City Sen. Loren Lippincott said.
Supporters, including AAA and local deputies, hail the bill as a necessary step to curb the rising tide of traffic fatalities linked to distracted driving. Some even compare it to the evolution of seatbelt laws, once secondary offenses but now universally enforced.
Critics, however, worry about racial profiling. The ACLU points out existing disparities in traffic stops, fearing this law will give police another tool to disproportionately target people of color.