Hands on the wheel, Colorado. You can talk on the phone while you’re driving, but the phone shouldn’t be in your hand.

That’s the aim of Senate Bill 49 introduced by safety maven Lois Court, a Democratic senator from Denver, in the General Assembly that started last week.

“We’re not saying you can’t use your cell phone  in your car,” Court said. “We’re saying you can’t hold it in your hand while you’re driving.”

She calls public safety the legislature’s main job, and Court certainly seems to be making it hers.

She also expects to introduce a bill this session to make failing to wear a seatbelt a primary offense, meaning police could pull you over and give you a ticket for that offense alone. Under current law, it can be tacked on to another traffic offense for which a driver gets pulled over.

Court sponsored a bill that became law last year that banned texting and driving, and now she’s eager to add Colorado to the list of 15 states and the District of Columbia that ban handheld phones.

Forty-seven states and D.C. ban texting and driving, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

There would be exceptions under Court’s hands-free driving proposal, of course, such as an emergency. And law enforcement would have the discretion to determine if a traffic jam is a “lawful stop,” Court said.

“But the reality is they’re not going to be going down the line car to car to see who’s on the phone,” she told Colorado Politics. “They know what a lawful stop is.”

Court called hands-free driving is common sense, especially given the availability of technology to accommodate it.

Senate bill 49 has its first hearing before the Senate State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee on Jan. 24.

The bill is co-sponsored by Rep. Jovan Melton, D-Aurora.