Draft bill for 2002 Del. legislature would ban use of handheld mo...

to get cellphone use restriction bill passed; similar legislation in House this year failed. Under draft bill, not yet assigned number, police would issue warnings for first 30 days after effective date. After that, first offenders would face fines up to $100 unless they could prove they were placing call to 911 or other emergency number. Miro said he hoped his bill would encourage use of hands-free mobile phones, whose use by drivers would be legal, and thereby lead to safer travel and fewer accidents. Other legislators, however, say case against handheld cellphones is by no means airtight and they are but one of many driver distractions that need to be addressed. Verizon Wireless said it preferred consumer education over legislation and said any bill should contain phase-in period to allow consumers chance to obtain hands-free phone models. This year saw more than 130 cellphone bills introduced in 43 states, National Conference of State Legislatures said, but the only one that made it into law was in N.Y.