Vermont lawmakers are continuing their efforts to crack down on distracted driving, with bills that would boost the penalties for texting while driving and ban all hand-held electronic devices when driving through road construction zones.
Two House committees are studying those measures, while prospects for a proposed outright ban on using portable electronic devices while driving appear slim.
Vermonters already are banned from texting while driving and drivers under 18 are barred from using any portable electronic device.
Public Safety Commissioner Keith Flynn says he’d like to see all portable electronic devices banned in work zones, because those areas present other risks and require a driver’s full attention.
The top law enforcement official in Gov. Peter Shumlin’s administration says he does not see a need to broaden that ban further.