The days of texting while driving are one step closer to ending this legislative session thanks to a long-championed bill authored by a local lawmaker.

Rep. Jim McClendon, R-Springville, saw his statewide text messaging while driving ban pass a House committee last week, and will make its way to the floor in the coming weeks.

“The bill prohibits sending or reading text messages while operating a motor vehicle on public highways, and it is a primary offense, as it is proposed, so you can be stopped for texting,” McClendon said. “There is an advantage to it being a primary offense so whoever stops you does not have to pile on the charges to get to a texting charge.”

Penalties consist of a $25 fee plus court costs for the first offense, $50 for a second offense and $75 for a third offense. Each offense also will carry a one-point penalty against the driver’s license.

While it’s not McClendon’s first time trying to get the law passed, he’s optimistic that this could be the year. A number of municipalities — including his hometown of Springville — have recently passed texting while driving bans, and McClendon said the newly-Republican legislature could be enough of a change to get the law on the books.

“The bill last year passed the House and was killed in the Senate, and some of those people that had opposition to the bill in the Senate were swept out with the tsunami on Nov. 2. So, there was a change in leadership in the House and Senate, and I expect that to be helpful and increase the likelihood of passage,” he explained.

While laws are already in place to keep drivers focused on the road, McClendon believes the law against texting while driving in particular will help protect everyone in the long run.

“Texting while driving requires the deadly combination of one or both of your hands coming off the wheel, your eyes coming off the road and your mind coming off where it should be. With those three things happening simultaneously, the crash rate is as high or higher than drunk driving,” McClendon said.