Time's Running Out For Hands-Free Driving Bill
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- It has been two years since little Paisley lost her mother, Megan Goeltz, and her unborn brother.
Two years later, her grandparents are still trying to explain.
"She knows I fly for work, you know, to different destinations, and she'll say, 'Papa, when you're up in the clouds can you bring Mama back down for me?'" said Megan's father, Thomas Goeltz. "How do you respond to a 4 year old or a 5 year old to something like that?"
It is hard to explain to anyone. Megan was sitting at a stop sign when officers say a driver on his phone crashed into her near Stillwater.
"People think the pain goes away, but it doesn't," said Megan's mother, Wendy Goeltz.
Now their family, and so many others whose families have also been shattered by distracted driving, have another uncomfortable emotion to deal with.
"It's aggravating in a way just knowing that we are so close and that so many more lives could be saved by this passing," Wendy said.
The Hands-Free bill has bi-partisan support, but it is being held up in committees. It has not gone up for a vote, and there are only a few weeks left to go.
"We have to do it," Thomas said. "We're just going to kill more people if we don't. It's just not acceptable."
He said another year without a law means another photo op -- of the worst kind.
"People in Minnesota keep joining our group, more people that have lost loved ones," Thomas said. "It's sad. We hate it."
There is already a texting and driving law in Minnesota, but here is the problem: If officers pull people over and it is not clear if they were texting or if they were making a phone call, the Hands-Free bill would allow officers to pull over anyone seen using their phone.
Who is against the bill? Whoever they are, they are being rather silent. But there are some who think this violates personal liberties.
If this is a bill you support, the best way to help is send your lawmaker an email or a call and tell them you want it to pass this year.
