Gov. Bill Richardson says he wants to prevent drivers statewide from texting and from talking without a hands-free device in 2010.

He will support legislation making it a misdemeanor with a fine of up to $200 in the upcoming legislative session, his office said Tuesday.

Regular drivers would be able to use hands-free devices, but public transport drivers such as school bus drivers would be prohibited from talking on the phone at all — something 17 states already have outlawed.

Already, cities including Santa Fe and Albuquerque prohibit talking without a hands-free device. Las Cruces, starting next year, also will outlaw the practice.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, New Mexico is far from alone.

Six states ban hand-held cell phones for all drivers and 21 states ban all cell phone use by novice drivers. Nineteen states have outlawed texting while driving.

"Driver distraction is a major cause of accidents, and the use of cell phones while driving is increasingly a problem," Richardson said in statement.

"We've all seen drivers swerving around the road while talking on the phone and texting, putting the safety and lives of New Mexicans in danger."

Statistics from the Department of Transportation show that the percent of crashes with injury in which a cell phone played a role has risen since 2006.

In that year, cell phone use played a role in just more than 27 percent of injury crashes while in 2008, it was about 31 percent. In 2007, cell phone use played a role in one fatal accident here.

Law-enforcement officials say the programs have been successful and routinely hand out tickets to violators.

State Department of Public Safety spokesman Peter Olson said the department supports the ban and anything else that will make roads safer.

"Generally, anything that keeps a driver from paying full attention to the task of driving is bad," he said.

The proposal, like most around the country, would contain exceptions for emergency calls to law enforcement or medical personnel. The Governor's Office doesn't yet have a sponsor for the measure.

Thom Turbett, president of SafeTeen New Mexico, said in the statement from the Governor's Office that people who use cell phones while driving are four times more likely to get into accidents. "Technology has created a situation that is causing much greater risk to everyone who drives," he said.

Advocates for the measure say driving while talking can be as distracting as driving while intoxicated.

The Governor's Office pointed to a 2006 study done primarily by neuropsychologist David Strayer, who found that "the cell phone driver was in fact more impaired than that same person when they were drunk at a .08 level."

Contact Kate Nash at 986-3036 or knash@sfnewmexican.com. Read her blog at www.greenchilechatter.com.

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The following was sent to news outlets from Gov. Bill Richardson's office:

Governor Bill Richardson Proposes Statewide Cell Phone Ban While Driving
 

SANTA FE- Governor Bill Richardson today announced that he will introduce a measure to ban the use of hand-held cell phones for talking or texting while driving statewide. The ban would be expanded to include hands-free devices for operators of public transportation, including school bus drivers.   
 
“Driver distraction is a major cause of accidents, and the use of cell phones while driving is increasingly a problem,” Governor Richardson said.  “We’ve all seen drivers swerving around the road while talking on the phone and texting, putting the safety and lives of New Mexicans in danger.”
 
Multiple studies have shown conclusively that using a cell phone while driving can impair the operator as much as driving while intoxicated.  A 2006 study conducted by the University of Utah concluded that “The impairments associated with using a cell phone while driving can be as profound as those associated with driving while drunk.”  Neuro-psychologist Dr. David Strayer, the study’s primary author, stated the study found that “the cell phone driver was in fact more impaired than that same person when they were drunk at a .08 level.”   
 
Thom Turbett, president of SafeTeen New Mexico, a public safety advocacy organization said people who use cell phones and drive are four times more likely to crash. “Technology has created a situation that is causing much greater risk to everyone who drives,” said Turbett.”
 
The proposed legislation makes violating the cell phone ban a misdemeanor and would carry a fine up to $200. It will include exemptions for emergency calls to and from medical, safety or law enforcement personnel. The Governor will introduce the bill during the upcoming Legislative Session in January.
 

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