You’re probably doing this at stoplights. Now this SC Rep wants to fine you $100 for it

Three years ago, South Carolina joined the majority of states across the country and banned texting while driving. But, according to state representative Bill Taylor, the law is “almost worthless.”

Taylor, R-Aiken, introduced legislation on Wednesday to raise fines for offenders, as well as add further stipulations to the law.

His provisions would prohibit drivers from using hand-held cellphones entirely, instead of just having a ban on texting while driving. Such laws have been enacted in 15 states, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

“When first proposed it (South Carolina’s texting-while-driving ban) had teeth but was watered down through the legislative process to make it almost worthless,” he said in a statement on his website. “... Today I introduced legislation that advances South Carolina’s weak texting law and says to those who would put your life in danger that there is a price to pay for their electronic addiction and potentially dangerous and deadly behavior.”

The legislation would also prohibit drivers from holding a phone in either hand while operating a vehicle and texting while stopped at a stoplight, which are both currently permitted.

Drivers would be required to answer or initiate phone calls or text messages by using voice commands on a hands-free device.

As it stands, the first offense for texting and driving in South Carolina is $25 for a first offense and $50 for a second offense.

The proposed legislation would significantly raise fines to $100 for the first offense and $300 for the second.

When South Carolina’s statewide law took effect in December 2014, it replaced many municipality bans across the state, which were tougher.

The $25 fine is lower than the previous fines set up by local ordinances that went into effect starting in 2012. For instance, ordinances previously established by Hilton Head Island and Beaufort County said that violators could be charged with a misdemeanor and fined $100 for the first offense, $200 for a second offense and $300 for subsequent offenses.

South Carolina’s fine is also lower than in the neighboring states of Georgia, which is $150, and North Carolina, which is $100.

“Everyone knows legislation doesn’t necessarily correct bad behavior, but laws can encourage safe behavior,” Taylor said in the statement.

Nearly two and a half years after South Carolina passed a law prohibiting texting behind the wheel, the regulation has been lightly enforced in Beaufort County, an Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette investigation found in May.

From December 2014 to May 2017, the number of citations issued by the Port Royal Police Department, Bluffton Police Department and the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office were each in the single digits, with Port Royal issuing only one citation during that time.

While the population of Hilton Head is nearly triple that of Bluffton or Beaufort, the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Office only wrote three citations on the island and six throughout unincorporated Beaufort County. Bluffton Police Department wrote six citations within those two and a half years.

Of all the Beaufort County law enforcement agencies, the City of Beaufort Police Department issued the most texting-while-driving citations — 51 tickets, which is more than five times the number of tickets written by other county law enforcement agencies.

This story was originally published December 14, 2017 at 3:58 PM with the headline "You’re probably doing this at stoplights. Now this SC Rep wants to fine you $100 for it."