Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy Signs Distracted-Driving Bill Into Law

HARTFORD, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy has signed a bill that sets a penalty of up to $1,000 for drivers caught texting or talking on their cellphones, WCBS 880 Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported.

But Marlene Dorsey, whose son was killed by distracted driver in 2012, said the law doesn't go far enough.

Dorsey's son, 44-year-old Kenneth, was jogging on a road in New Canaan when a 16-year-old who was checking her smartphone while driving struck and killed him with a sport utility vehicle. Brianna McEwan accepted a plea deal in the case and was given a suspended sentence.

The victim's mother said a $1,000 fine isn't going to stop drivers from using their phones while behind the wheel. She suggested also hiking insurance premiums for those caught texting or phoning while driving.

"We're just trying to get other people aware of the fact that you can lose a child, a mother, a father, someone," she told Schneidau. "It's becoming a nationwide problem, and there's no reason for it. It's a phone. Why are we so important? It's a phone.

"For us, it's a tragedy. For the girl who had this happen to her, it's also a tragedy, and my heart goes out to her. She was young. She was 16. She didn't know any better. But two families got destroyed over a phone."

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