House endorses distracted driving bill

PIERRE — Lawmakers calling for personal responsibility on the highways lost out to their colleagues who wanted safer roads. On Wednesday the S.D. House of Representatives voted to endorse a bill that would ban the use of many electronic devices while driving. 

Rep. Doug Barthel, R-Sioux Falls, explained that currently in South Dakota distracted driving is a secondary offense. A law enforcement officer can write a ticket for texting while driving if the driver has committed another offense as well. 

Barthel said HB1088 would make distracted driving a primary offense and increase the fine from $100 to $122.50. He noted that eight or nine South Dakota cities have already made distracted driving a primary offense. 

“This would make it uniform across the state,” said Barthel, who referred to a survey in which 77 percent of respondents said they thought they were good at texting while driving. 

Rep. Thomas Brunner, R-Nisland, said the state already has adequate laws to deal with distracted driving. 

“I don’t think we need any more laws,” Brunner said. “We can’t outlaw everything that’s bad for us.

Rep. Timothy Johns, R-Lead, reminded the House that the bill covers the use of a wide array of electronic devices while driving. 

“We can’t do two things at once and do them well,” Johns said. “Let’s make a public statement that enough is enough.”

Rep. Tom Pischke, R-Dell Rapids, said the subject was too broad for Legislation. 

“There’s so many kinds of distracted driving,” Pischke said, from eating in the car to yelling at the kids in the back seat. 

The measure passed in the House on a vote of 40-30. It now goes to the Senate.