March 4, 2019- The Arizona Senate passed a bill that would ban texting while driving for the entire state of Arizona. The Senate Bill 1165 was passed on a vote of 20-10 with all 13 Democrats voting in support of the bill.
The bill will not only ban texting but will ban drivers from using or even holding a phone or other electronic device at all. The only exception will be the use of hands free devices such as navigational systems.
To become a law, the bill must be passed by the Arizona state House and signed by Govenor Doug Ducey.
If the law is signed, it will not go into effect until January 2021 when police can begin issuing citations and fines. Until then, police can only be authorized to issue warnings to texting drivers.
Once the law takes effect in 2021, drivers on their phones could be fined up to $149 for a first offense and up to $250 for a second violation.
Remember, citations of any sort can raise your insurance rates. Click here for a free AZ car insurance quote from us to ensure you get the best policy at the lowest rate.