A Kentucky Republican state lawmaker is proposing legislation that he hopes will crack down on distracted driving in the Bluegrass State.
Republican state Rep. Jimmy Higdon of Lebanon presented the proposed “Phone-Down Kentucky Act” to fellow lawmakers Tuesday at the Interim Joint Committee on Transportation meeting. He said the legislation – which would require hands-free technology for cell phones to be used while driving – is intended to help curb deaths in the Commonwealth caused by distracted driving.
“We need to encourage people to operate their vehicles safely on our highways,” Higdon said. “This is a winnable battle. With this piece of legislation, we can reduce deaths on Kentucky highways.”
Under the proposal, drivers would be barred from texting, watching videos and even holding their phones. Those found to be violating the law would be fined $100. Exceptions are made for those reporting emergencies.
According to the 2023 Kentucky traffic incident report, the latest year on record, over 800 people in Kentucky were killed in car crashes. Driver inattention and distraction contributed to around 20% of those deaths.
Higdon argued that safety measures like those outlined in the draft bill could have prevented many of these deaths.
“Every time I hear of a traffic fatality – either a head on collision, road departure, motorcycle hit by a vehicle, pedestrian hit by a vehicle, or bicyclist hit by a vehicle – I ask myself the question, ‘Could this have been caused by a distracted driver?’ And I believe a majority of the time, that's what caused the accident,” Higdon said.
Higdon was joined at Tuesday’s meeting by Louisville resident Alyssa Burns, whose 1 year old daughter Camberleigh was killed three years ago in a car crash caused by a distracted driver. She expressed her frustration at the lack of appropriate driving safeguards on Kentucky roadways, and argued that establishing such safety measures are necessary to help prevent similar incidents in the future.
“If you don’t vote ‘yes’ on the hands-free bill today, I just ask that you help me in continuing making our roads safer for our future, because my daughter deserves to be here,” Burns said.
While Kentucky does have a law that prohibits texting while driving, it does not yet have a comprehensive “no-touch law” prohibiting all forms of distracted driving. So far, 30 states – including Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia – along with the District of Columbia have established no-touch laws.
Higdon plans to introduce the bill when legislators convene for the next regular session in January.
A video recording of the full committee meeting can be found on YouTube.
