Senator Cohen Welcomes Senate Passage of Distracted Driving, Work Zone Safety Legislation

HARTFORD — Senator Christine Cohen (D-Guilford), Senate Chair of the Transportation Committee, today welcomed the Senate’s passage of SB 484, an act concerning distracted driving and the safe operation of a motor vehicle in a highway work zone.

The bill makes distracted driving in a highway work zone a reckless driving violation, meaning offenders face criminal penalties rather than a civil infraction. It also expands Connecticut’s distracted driving law to explicitly include playing a video on a mobile electronic device in full view of the driver, and closes a technological loophole by adding video converters to the definition of prohibited mobile electronic devices, addressing devices designed to stream video to dashboard screens while a vehicle is in motion.

“The people who pave our roads and maintain our highways deserve to go home safely, and this legislation is designed to ensure that motorists who drive through their workspaces keep their eyes on the road,” Senator Cohen said. “It’s important that our work zone safety laws keep pace with today’s technology especially as drivers are faced with increasing distractions from smart phones, on board systems and other devices. This bill sets clear consequences for unsafe behavior and closes loopholes that make it possible.”

Under S.B. 484, fines for distracted driving in a work zone would be set at $400 for a first violation, $750 for a second, and $1,250 for subsequent violations.

The bill will now head to the House of Representatives for consideration before the legislative session’s May 6 adjournment date.