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Montana House committee hears Senate Bill 359 hands‑free driving proposal after fatal crashes; sponsors and safety groups urge passage
Summary
Senate Bill 359 would require drivers to use hands‑free technologies for mobile communication; it is not a total cell‑phone ban. The bill received broad support from families of crash victims, law enforcement associations, safety advocates, insurers and automakers at a March 10 House Judiciary hearing, with witnesses citing distraction
Senate Bill 359, a proposal to require hands‑free operation of mobile communications devices while driving, drew broad testimony from family members of crash victims, public‑safety officials and safety advocates during a March 10 House Judiciary Committee hearing.
Sponsor Sen. Sarah Novak said the bill is not a cell‑phone ban but a hands‑free requirement intended to reduce distraction. Novak said she teaches driver education and introduced the bill after a former student, Chloe Worrell, was killed in 2021 by a driver the sponsor said was distracted by social‑media use. “This bill is not a cell phone ban. It is simply a hands free bill,” Novak told the committee.
Family members of crash victims and local emergency responders described fatal and life‑altering wrecks they attributed to phone distraction. Chloe Worrell’s parents and several first responders gave emotional testimony urging lawmakers to adopt a statewide standard.
Public‑safety groups, including the Association of Montana Troopers, Montana Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, Montana chiefs and local fire and EMS organizations, expressed support. Transportation officials and safety advocates cited federal and state crash data: the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration figures cited at the hearing included thousands of distracted‑driving fatalities nationally and a substantial number in Montana; witnesses emphasized that reading a text can remove a driver’s eyes from the road for about five seconds — roughly the distance of a football field at highway speeds.
Industry witnesses including the Alliance for Automotive Innovation and several insurers and trade associations supported the measure and highlighted hands‑free technology options — from simple phone‑to‑radio Bluetooth devices to integrated vehicle voice systems — while noting that some vehicle touchscreens and interfaces can themselves be distracting. Representative committee questions probed whether in‑dash touchscreen controls and integrated vehicle interfaces should be exempt; the sponsor resisted broadening the bill to sweep in every possible distraction, saying the draft intentionally targets mobile device use and allows law‑enforcement and workplace exemptions.
The hearing record included no committee vote. Supporters urged passage as a safety measure to reduce crashes attributable to distracted driving; opponents were not prominent in the hearing record.
