Suzanne Salter, a mom who lost her daughter in a crash with a distracted driver, is calling on lawmakers to pass a bill that would prohibit Louisiana drivers from using handheld electronic devices while driving. Salter’s daughter, Nicole, was killed in Pointe Coupee Parish by a driver who was texting and drifted into her lane.
“She was stopped to make a left-hand turn and was hit by a distracted driver that had been texting,” Salter said. “She hit Nicole, it pushed her into the other lane, and she was hit by oncoming traffic.”
Fatalities in distracted driving crashes increased by 12 percent from 3,154 in 2020 to 3,522 in 2021, a total of 8.2 percent of fatalities reported according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That is an average of 10 lives lost each day, although experts believe the numbers are much higher.
Salter says drivers have lost all sense of responsibility and the loss of her daughter has impacted her family for almost ten years.
“It’s been something you don’t want anyone to go through and children should not have to grow up without their mother because of someone’s callous act of not putting down their phone,” she said.
HB 580, authored by Rep. Mike Huval (R-Abbeville), bans phone use while driving, but drivers would still be able to make calls if needed to report a traffic crash or medical emergencies. The bill would give tools to law enforcement to enforce the law.
Crash statistics related to distracted drivers on average rely on self-reporting by the driver or visual confirmation by law enforcement. Salter says over the past eight years legislators did not agree with the bill but they are hopeful this year.
“This is the best this bill has ever been written. So we’re really hoping we can get it done this year,” said Salter.
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.
