Projo Politics Blog

House Speaker William J. Murphy said Tuesday he hopes the General ASsembly is "able to tackle" a ban on text messaging while driving when it returns to Smith Hill this fall.

His deputy, Majority Leader Gordon D. Fox, was more direct.

"This is something we definitely have to address," Fox said, calling the habit "an inherently dangerous practice."

The leaders' comments came during their turn as guest hosts of WPRO's The Buddy Cianci Show. Technically, Murphy was the sit-in host; though Fox stopped by the East Providence studio for an extended on-air visit along with PawSox team president Mike Tamburro and Warwick Rep. Eileen Naughton.

Murphy was substituting for the show's vacationing host, former Providence mayor Vincent A. "Buddy" Cianci Jr.

The issue of cell-phone use behind the wheel -- specifically text messaging while driving -- has made national headlines following a new study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute that found that drivers who text are 23 times more likely to crash.

In Rhode Island, the chatter over cell phones is hardly new. For years, lawmakers have tried unsuccessfully to prohibit handheld phones while driving. In 2001, the state nearly became the second in the nation at the time to outlaw hand-held use, with lawmakers approving a ban. But then-Gov. Lincoln Almond subsequently vetoed the measure.

More recently, the legislative push has focused on prohibiting the practice of text messaging at the wheel. This spring, lawmakers appeared poised to change the state's law, barring the habit. But the proposal did not gain traction before lawmakers left for an extended summer hiatus without finishing their yearly business.

 Tags  Gordon D. Fox RI General Assembly text-messaging ban The Buddy Cianci Show William J. Murphy

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