This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The House of Representatives defeated a bill Tuesday that would have prohibited young drivers from talking on a cellular phone while they were driving.
"The whole purpose behind this is to give these young people a chance to get to adulthood," said Rep. Lee Perry, R-Perry, a Utah Highway Patrol trooper.
SB45 would have made it a violation for someone under the age of 18 to use a cell phone while driving, unless the driver was reporting an emergency, criminal activity or communicating with a parent or guardian.
But several Republican legislators argued that it should be an issue of personal responsibility. Rep. Carl Wimmer, R-Herriman, a former police officer, said he has had to tell parents that their child had been killed in a traffic accident and it is "horrific."
"But there is something that is more horrific: That is the constant attack on liberty and freedom we see continuing through this Legislature," Wimmer said. "We continually chip away at parental rights up here. … It's simply wrong."
The bill failed 38-32.