Loge introduces cellphone bill

Rep. Denley Loge, House District 14, made an appearance during the 2021 legislative session in Helena, Montana. He presented House Bill 237, asking for revision of current cell phone regulations. Although versions of the same bill have been introduced in previous years, Loge asked the House Judiciary Committee to consider the updated bill that bans the use of interactive wireless communication devices in manned work zones.

Loge set the stage by asking those in attendance to imagine sitting right where they were and placing a roadway going through the center aisle right next to them, where cars were travelling 45 miles per hour all day long. “You do not want those drivers distracted,” he said. “This bill is to take that distraction away from those drivers.”

Loge admitted he is not keen on setting more regulations on people, but wants everyone to consider “the construction workers, that’s [the work zone] their office.” He continued by sharing statistics from 2018 reflecting 13 injuries and 35 crashes in Montana work zones due to distracted driving. Loge added that tow truck drivers and one construction worker in Billings were killed from the same cause. “One death is too many,” he stated.

Exempt from the bill would be law enforcement, emergency personnel, persons reporting an accident, people using hands-free calling, while resting at a complete stop waiting for a flag person to continue traffic flow, transportation department personnel and construction workers on site. Consequences for violating the rules outlined in the bill would carry a $10 to $100 fine for the first offense, $25 to $200 for second offences, and $50 to $500 for third-time offenders.

Loge is hoping to alleviate accidents caused by distracted driving in work zones. Rear-end collisions are most common, he stated, as people are not paying attention and cannot react fast enough to what is in front of them. Most of the deaths in these accidents are the people passing through, as the workers typically “know what is going on” around them, he continued.

Proponents who stood in support of HB 237 during the session were representatives from Montana Contractors Association, Montana Department of Transportation, AT&T, Montana Medical Association, Helena Sand and Gravel, and Motor Carriers of Montana. Although no opponents spoke during the session, Mark French of Plains submitted written testimony against the bill stating the bill is “unconstitutional.”

The inconvenience a driver may have in a work zone is not worth somebody’s life, Loge said in closing. “This bill is basically for the safety within that work zone.”

The Ledger reached out to each of the local legislators for their priorities this session. More information from other legislators will be printed once available from those legislators.