Handsfree Cell Phone Bill Headed to Colorado Senate

A bill requiring Colorado drivers to use handsfree devices while talking on cell phones is headed to the Senate for a vote.

The Senate Appropriations Committee backed House Bill 1094 on a 6-4 vote after exempting some state workers.

State corrections and transportation workers were excluded so the state won’t have to spend an estimated $83,000 to outfit them with headsets. The bill also won’t apply to truck drivers as well as police and firefighters.

Adult drivers would have to use some kind of handsfree device, such as ear buds or a speaker on their dashboard, to talk while driving unless it’s an emergency. Drivers under 18, as well as bus and taxi drivers, wouldn’t be able to talk or text on cell phones at all.