The state’s House of Representatives voted this week for legislation that would appear to make roads safer for drivers and pedestrians — but the bill doesn’t go far enough.

On Wednesday, the House approved a proposal to expand distracted driving laws and ban the use of handheld phones for all drivers to make calls.

However, police wouldn’t be allowed to stop drivers for that reason alone. Rather, it would be a secondary offense that could lead to tougher penalties when paired with another violation.

If the bill represents a step forward, it’s a minuscule one.

On the one hand, it’s good the bill would increase the fine from $50 to $150 for texting or making calls while driving.

On the other, legislators frustrated with the bill have pointed out that while police officers are allowed to pull over drivers they believe to be texting, they cannot often distinguish between persons texting and placing calls in a moving vehicle.

Texting while driving would also be a secondary violation and, as a result, fewer people would get pulled over for doing so.

Studies show this is a bad idea.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,166 people were killed in 2017 as the result of distracted driving. The National Safety Council estimates about 1.6 million crashes per year are caused by cellphone use while driving, and that 390,000 injuries are caused annually by accidents in which drivers were texting.

The council notes that texting while driving causes a 400 percent increase in time spent with one’s eyes off the road. An even more terrifying way to consider it: Safe driving analytics provider Cambridge Mobile Telematics contends that texting and driving while driving 55 mph is the equivalent of driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed.

In a Harris Poll from last year, 55 percent of responders said they believed distracted driving was the biggest threat to drivers. At the same time, 71 percent of those surveyed admitted to using their phones while driving.

In other words, every time you get behind the wheel, you’re sharing the road with a significant amount of people who are taking part in unsafe driving practices.

The distracted driving bill will go to the state Senate. We hope it gets some common sense changes and stricter rules before going up for a vote.