After years of setbacks, advocates including motorcycle crash survivor Anthony Summers finally see distracted driving bill reach governor's desk

Editor's note: Anthony Summers, one of the advocates featured in this story, is the brother of the author.

The phone call that changed Anthony Summers' advocacy came on November 5, 2023. But it wasn't actually a call—it was the silence that followed when a suspected distracted driver slammed into his motorcycle just before 5 p.m. in the middle of the Mississippi River Bridge, throwing him from his bike in what he suspects was another case of someone more focused on their phone than the road. The crash was serious enough to shut down westbound I-10 traffic and send Summers to the hospital.

Nearly two years later, Summers and fellow advocates are celebrating a hard-fought victory. House Bill 519—Louisiana's comprehensive hands-free driving law—passed the state legislature this week with overwhelming support and now sits on Governor Jeff Landry's desk awaiting his signature.

From Crash to Capitol

For Summers, the journey to this moment began long before his own crash. As a motorcyclist, he'd witnessed countless close calls with distracted drivers. But it was during testimony for the failed 2024 version of the bill that he met Suzanne Salter, whose daughter Nicole was killed in 2014 by a suspected texting driver.

"Nicole's story is one of many that show the tragic human toll of inaction," Summers wrote in his advocacy for the current bill. Nicole was a mother of three, killed just one day after Christmas because someone chose to focus on their phone instead of the road.

The statistics that drove their advocacy were sobering. Louisiana ranks among the top five states for distracted driving deaths, with 178 people killed in distracted driving crashes in 2023 alone—representing 22% of all traffic fatalities that year. From 2018 to 2022, distracted driving killed 1,734 Louisiana residents.

Overcoming Misinformation

Last year's failure of Senate Bill 98 was particularly frustrating for advocates. The bill died in the House, largely due to what Summers described as misinformation about its true intent.

"One legislator told me she voted against it because her constituents mistakenly believed it would ban all phone use in cars," Summers recalled. "Another opposed it over concerns about profiling—an argument far removed from the bill's true intent."

The reality was much simpler: the bill aimed to get phones out of drivers' hands, not ban communication entirely.

Building the Coalition

This year's success didn't happen by accident. Summers and other advocates worked methodically to build support, educate lawmakers, and counter the misinformation that had derailed previous efforts.

The coalition included law enforcement officials, insurance commissioners, highway safety advocates, A.B.A.T.E. of Louisiana (American Bikers Active Towards Education), and organizations like AAA Louisiana. The support from A.B.A.T.E., Louisiana's recognized motorcycle rights organization, was particularly significant given that motorcyclists are among the most vulnerable victims of distracted driving. Insurance Commissioner Tim Temple joined the push, noting the connection between distracted driving and Louisiana's notoriously high auto insurance rates.

"Our insurance costs on auto in Louisiana have risen to 16% in that time because of distracted driving," Rep. Brian Glorioso, the bill's author, told fellow lawmakers during floor debate. "It's about safety, it's not about anything else."

What the Victory Means

House Bill 519 represents a significant expansion of Louisiana's current distracted driving law. While the existing statute prohibits texting while driving, the new law would ban virtually all handheld phone use while driving, including:

• Holding or physically supporting a phone while driving
• Explicitly outlawing posting or scrolling through social media while driving
• Making it illegal to create videos or take photographs while behind the wheel
• Manually entering data into any application

The law includes common-sense exceptions for contacting law enforcement to report crashes, medical emergencies, or crimes in progress, along with hands-free technology, and features a grace period with warnings until January 1, 2026.

Perhaps most importantly for advocates, violations would be treated as non-moving violations, reducing impact on insurance rates and driving records—addressing one concern that had previously stalled the legislation.

The Dramatic Turnaround

The contrast with last year's failure was striking. Where Senate Bill 98 had struggled to gain traction, House Bill 519 sailed through both chambers with decisive majorities. The bill initially passed the House with a 71-28 vote, but after Senate passage on June 2nd, the final House concurrence vote on June 4th was even more overwhelming—with only one member voting against the measure.

The difference, advocates believe, was persistence, education, and the growing recognition that Louisiana could no longer afford to lag behind the 30 other states that have already enacted comprehensive hands-free driving laws. The final near-unanimous House vote demonstrated just how dramatically the political landscape had shifted in favor of road safety.

Personal Stakes

For Summers, the victory is deeply personal. While he can't definitively prove his motorcycle crash was caused by a distracted driver, it fits a pattern he's seen too often on Louisiana roads.

"The reality is simple: Distracted driving is killing people," he said. "FaceTiming, texting and recording videos while behind the wheel puts everyone at risk."

His advocacy has been shaped not just by his own experience, but by meeting families like the Salters who have paid the ultimate price for legislative inaction.

Looking Ahead

With the bill now on Governor Landry's desk, advocates are cautiously optimistic. The broad legislative support suggests strong public backing for the measure.

If signed into law, Louisiana would join the majority of states that have recognized hands-free driving as a basic safety requirement. More importantly for advocates like Summers, it would mean fewer families would have to endure the preventable tragedy of losing a loved one to distracted driving.

"No law can prevent every distraction, but this one would save lives," Summers said. "It's time to do what's right for public safety."

The advocates who spent years pushing for this moment—survivors like Summers, grieving mothers like Salter, and countless others who refused to accept the status quo—now wait for the governor's signature to make their long-sought victory official.

For them, it represents more than just a change in law. It's a testament to what's possible when personal tragedy is transformed into purposeful action, and when advocates refuse to take no for an answer in the fight to save lives.