The state of Louisiana is looking to crack down on another activity that threatens the safety of its commuters: Facebooking while driving.
Really, this includes any sort of social networking while driving like tweeting or posting photos to Instagram.
The bill, Senate bill 147, has passed committee without objection.
Louisiana already bans texting while driving, but this bill would extend the banned activities list to posting to or even viewing content on any social network.
No person shall operate any motor vehicle upon any public road or highway of this state while using a wireless telecommunications device to access, read, or post to a social networking site.
The bill goes on to define “social network” as “any web-based service that allows individuals to construct a profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and communicate with other members of the site.”
You would think that this is a unnecessary addition to current anti-texting while driving laws, which already exist in the state. But the bill’s sponsor, Senator Dale Erdey, says that police have actually cited cases where they’ve pulled someone over for texting while driver only to be told “Hey, I’m not texting…I’m Instagramming!” Or Facebooking, or tweeting, or any other social network activity.
He says the current law isn’t comprehensive enough to cover these loopholes.
Sorry, drivers. We know that bumper sticker on the truck in front of you is absolutely outrageous. But your Twitter followers can wait to see it.
This isn’t the only smartphone activity outside of texting that’s getting challenged around the country. Earlier this week, a California judge upheld the illegality of using a mapping product while driving.