New Jersey to prohibit cell phone cycling

The New Jersey State Assembly is considering a bill that would prohibit bicycle riders from using cell phones. The bill was sponsored by Assemblyman Jon Bramnick, a Republican legislator from Westfield NJ, and has passed a committee vote. Violators could face fines from $100 to $250.

Bramnick says that he has no data detailing about accident rates of cellphone chatting cyclists, but calls his bill a "common sense" proposal. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, bicycle accidents injure approximate 45,000 people a year, but there is no data on cellphone using bicyclists.

If the bill passes an Assembly vote, it will still have to go on to the State Senate floor.