The Utah House took two unusual turns with proposed traffic laws on Monday. It killed a bill to ban the use of hand-held cellphones while driving — but it advanced another to allow running red lights in some circumstances.
Even though polls show that three of every four Utahns favor a better cellphone ban, the House voted down the unluckily numbered HB13 by a 31-41 vote.
An hour earlier, representatives voted 39-34 to advance HB151 to allow cars to run through red lights — if they first stop for 90 seconds, determine the light is not cycling properly, and proceed when the coast is clear.