Federal grants and distracted driving

Congress passed the Focused Driving Act. The law offers states a share of $2 billion over five years to spend on highway safety, but only states that ban the use of handheld phones while driving can receive the money. In addition, any state that has not adopted such a ban within three years will lose 5 percent of the federal highway construction money it normally receives.

Supporters in Congress said distracted driving kills thousands of people each year and that drivers cross state lines every day, so a national standard makes sense. Several governors objected. They argued that traffic laws have always been written by the states and that the threat of losing highway money left them no real choice.