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Eye On Boise

Bill would still permit texting while driving for those who take ‘due care’

Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, pitches his texting-while-driving bill, HB 141, to the House Transportation Committee on Monday afternoon. The bill would still permit texting while driving if the driver exercises
Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, pitches his texting-while-driving bill, HB 141, to the House Transportation Committee on Monday afternoon. The bill would still permit texting while driving if the driver exercises "due care." Hagedorn said the toned-down bill was negotiated with groups ranging from sheriffs to insurance companies. (Betsy Russell)

Under questioning from House Transportation Committee members, Rep. Marv Hagedorn, R-Meridian, acknowledged that his texting-while-driving bill would permit texting while driving as long as the driver is exercising "due care." He said, "If you're driving down the road and you're using an electronic device and you are using due care ... then there would be no reason for an officer to pull you over." The proposed new law, HB 141, would come into play only if the driver's use of the hand-held electronic device causes  the driver "to be distracted or otherwise fail to exercise due care."



Betsy Z. Russell

Betsy Z. Russell joined The Spokesman-Review in 1991. She currently is a reporter in the Boise Bureau covering Idaho state government and politics, and other news from Idaho's state capital.

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