Breaux Bridge Representative Mike Huval watched his bill that would have banned hand-held communication while operating a motor vehicle go down to defeat in the Senate. Huval has been relentless in his effort to make the state’s highways safer and says this push isn’t about taking away rights, it’s about saving lives.
“I do not want to take away anyone’s rights from speaking on a phone while driving,” said Huval. “That’s not the intent here. The only thing that we’re trying to do is to make it safe while you’re driving and you’re speaking.”
One of the major hurdles Huval faced with his bill was concern that it could lead to overreach by law enforcement and potential profiling of drivers. To alleviate those concerns he received input from other lawmakers and agreed to a number of amendments that would have increased protections for motorists and oversight of law enforcement agencies.
“I was in agreement with these because I felt that these are important,” he said. “These do not hurt the bill; it actually gives more protection for the people who may be stopped for having a phone in their hands.”
Huval hasn’t been dissuaded by this most-recent setback. He promises that he will be back with another bill. He says there’s enough evidence from other states, like Georgia, that have adopted similar policies that this type of legislation could not only improve safety but decrease insurance rates as well.
“We’re trying to save lives here,” Huval said. “And you know, we may even get lower insurance rates if this would pass. I will visit with my colleagues on both ends, and I’m open-minded and I hope we can find a way to get more support for this much-needed legislation.”
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