| 14 | 13 | | A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1 |
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| 15 | 14 | | AN ACT MAKING IT UNLAWFUL TO INTERACT WITH CHILDREN OR ANIMALS IN 2 |
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| 16 | 15 | | AN UNSAFE MANNER WHILE OPERATING A MOTOR VEHICLE ON A PUBLIC 3 |
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| 17 | 16 | | STREET, HIGHWAY, OR PUBLIC VEHICULAR AREA. 4 |
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| 18 | 17 | | The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5 |
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| 19 | 18 | | SECTION 1. Article 3 of Chapter 20 of the General Statutes is amended by adding 6 |
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| 20 | 19 | | a new section to read: 7 |
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| 21 | 20 | | "§ 20-137.4B. Distracted driving caused by interacting with children or animals prohibited. 8 |
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| 22 | 21 | | (a) Prohibited Conduct. – It shall be unlawful for a person to operate a vehicle on a public 9 |
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| 23 | 22 | | street, highway, or public vehicular area while (i) holding an animal or allowing an animal to sit 10 |
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| 24 | 23 | | in the operator's lap or (ii) interacting with a child or an animal in a manner that impairs or 11 |
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| 25 | 24 | | restricts the proper operation of the motor vehicle and results in operation that is careless, 12 |
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| 26 | 25 | | reckless, or heedless under the conditions then existing. 13 |
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| 27 | 26 | | (b) Exception. – The provisions of this section shall not apply to fully autonomous 14 |
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| 28 | 27 | | vehicles being operated in accordance with Article 18 of this Chapter. 15 |
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| 29 | 28 | | (c) Penalty. – A violation of this section shall be an infraction punishable by a fine of one 16 |
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| 30 | 29 | | hundred dollars ($100.00) and the costs of court. No insurance surcharge shall be assessed as a 17 |
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| 31 | 30 | | result of a violation of this section." 18 |
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| 32 | 31 | | SECTION 2. This act becomes effective December 1, 2025, and applies to offenses 19 |
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| 33 | 32 | | committed on or after that date. For the six months immediately after the effective date of this 20 |
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| 34 | 33 | | act, law enforcement shall only issue warning tickets for offenses committed. 21 |
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