The Kansas House on Tuesday approved a package of traffic safety bills that would get tough on drivers who pass dangerously close to disabled vehicles and attempts to curb risky driving for a vulnerable population of Kansas motorists.
The bill expands the state’s move-over law, which now requires drivers approaching stationary emergency vehicles, tow trucks, utility trucks and garbage trucks to move out of the lane nearest the emergency vehicle or slow to a speed safe for conditions.
The proposed law would now cover all vehicles flashing their hazard lights or where flares or other warning signals are deployed. The bill adds a fine of $75 for a violation of the law.
The bill, approved by the House on a 104-18 vote, also would bar anyone under 18 from using a handheld mobile phone while driving. A violation carries a $60 fine.
It also would ban drivers of all ages from using a handheld mobile phone while going through a construction zone when workers are present and through a school zone during designated hours.
Law enforcement officers could only issue warnings for unlawfully using a mobile phone until July 1, 2025.
The bill now goes to the Senate, which can either concur with the House amendments or send it to a conference committee.
There are 34 states that ban everyone from using a handheld cellphone behind the wheel of a car as of last July, according to the Governor’s Highway Safety Association.
The Kansas bill addresses a group of drivers who are most likely to end up in a crash while using a cellphone or any other kind of distraction involving an electronic device.
In 2022, there were 423 distracted-driving crashes in Kansas involving drivers from 14 to 19 years old, according to data from the state transportation department.
That was more than any other age bracket involved in distracted-driving crashes.
For instance, there were 348 distracted driving crashes in 2022 involving the 20-24 age group and 231 in the 25-29 age bracket.
During 2022, there were 130 crashes involving someone 14 to 19 years old who was distracted by a cellphone while driving.
The next highest number of cellphone-related crashes was 108 for the 20-24 age bracket and 93 for the 25-29 group.
The number of cellphone-related crashes gradually tapers off as the driver’s age increases, the data shows.
During 2022, there were 58,734 vehicle crashes, according to state transportation department.
The leading cause of those crashes was generally inattentive driving at 17.4% followed by animal collisions at 12% and right-of-way violations at 10.5%.
Drivers using a mobile phone was blamed in 587 crashes during 2022, the data shows.
There were 1,232 crashes in work zones during 2022 resulting in 12 deaths and 375 injuries, according to state data.
The Transportation Department reported that there have been 88 fatalities and 5,389 injuries in nearly 12,500 distraction-related crashes from 2017 through 2022.
According to data compiled by KDOT, more than 155,500 crashes in Kansas since 2013 have involved distracted drivers, with costs totaling about $15.9 billion.
The cellphone bill drew support from the Kansas Highway Patrol along with the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police and the Kansas Contractors Association.
As executive director of the heavy construction industry in Kansas, Michael White said it’s not lost on his members the risk they face every day when going to work.
“I can assure you that every one of my members’ goal when they start the day is that every one of their workers goes home to their families that night,” White said.
“And it’s not always the case,” he said.
“This bill hits home very closely to our industry,” he said. “We are seeing more and more distracted driving. We all know it.”
White said there’s always been distracted driving, but it’s only worsened with the arrival of mobile phones.
“This bill is not perfect to our industry,” he said, noting that work zones can be several miles long and in some parts there might not be workers present.
“At the end of the day,” White said, “this is a real compromise to try to move something forward.”
