You May Not Be Pulled Over For Texting And Driving In Missouri – But That Could Soon Change

To some, it may seem obvious that texting and driving is an extremely poor combination, but for others, it’s almost a daily occurrence. But no matter how good of a driver you are, studies have shown the dangers of being distracted by your phone could be deadly. Despite this, drivers ignore the evidence and continue to text and drive — and in the states of Missouri and Montana, they can do so without fear of reprisal.

But lawmakers in Missouri are aiming to change that. At the moment, only drivers who are under the age of 21 can be charged for texting and driving. A new bill that will outlaw the practice across the board has received first-round approval and needs one more Senate vote before it goes to the Missouri House. A first-time offense will carry a fine of $50 and two points against a driver’s license, while repeat offenders may be presented with enhanced penalties.

Related: Lexus Blinds Drivers For 4.6 Seconds To Show How Dangerous Texting And Driving Can Be

However, things aren’t quite as clear-cut yet. An amendment made to the bill by Sen. Rick Brattin has received pushback from the original proposer, State Sen. Jason Bean. Accordingly, the change would make texting a driving a secondary offense, meaning that police would not be able to pull drivers over for texting. Instead, individuals found to be holding and interacting with an electronic device while driving could only be fined if the officer stopped the driver for another reason, such as running a stop sign.

There are also exceptions to the proposed law, which would allow drivers to interact with an on-screen map for navigation, and play songs stored on their phone, reports the St. Louis Dispatch. But by making it a secondary offense, the new bill loses a lot of its teeth.

Only Missouri and Montana allow texting and driving, despite the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety reporting that in nearly three of every four distracted-driving crashes over the last five years, the driver at fault was over 21 years old, and, therefore not banned.