San Antonio City Council unanimously approved a Distracted Driving Ordinance on Thursday morning, banning almost all use of cellphones or “mobile devices” while driving. Drivers will still be able to use “hands free” technology and make emergency calls, but texting, taking photos, surfing the web, even using GPS mapping services – anything that takes a driver’s eyes away from the road ahead – could result in a $200 fine. Any law enforcement or peace officer authorized to issue citations on city streets, including school district officers, can cite a distracted driver.
The ordinance goes into effect on Jan. 1, 2015. The San Antonio Police Department will initiate a public awareness campaign, “Keep ‘Em On The Wheel,” about the new rule that will include radio and television public service announcements, media ride-alongs, both permanent and temporary signage on City streets and state/federal highways, and social media. For 30 days after the ordinance goes into effect, violators will be given a warning.
There are so many illegal uses of cellphones now (gaming, checking a bank account, etc.), that it’s probably easier to list what the ordinance allows. According to the SAPD presentation, the ordinance will not apply to “a person who is on private property or legally parked, using a hands-free device (e.g. bluetooth), operating an emergency vehicle, reporting illegal activity, communicating with emergency response personnel, (or) preventing injury to a person or property.”
During the council meeting, many anecdotal stories told by citizens and council members reflected the alarming local, state, and national statistics that indicate it’s about time distracted driving becomes a crime.
SAPD’s presentation to City Council included statistics from the Texas Department of Transportation that distracted driving contributed to 90,378 crashes in 2013. Of those, 18,468 resulted in serious injuries, 453 were fatalities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported more than 3,300 fatalities and 400,000 injured in vehicle accidents nationwide in 2013 connected to distracted driving.
In San Antonio, there were more than 250 vehicle crashes in 2013 that SAPD directly attributed to cellphone use.
One of those crashes involved the Abrams family, who came to the Council Thursday to support the ordinance in remembrance of 6-year-old Brandon Abrams who was struck and killed by a driver reaching down for their phone on Jan. 24, 2013.
“I confronted the kid (the driver) and I asked him, ‘What were you doing?’” Brandon’s father, Troy Abrams recalled the scene of the accident. He arrived three minutes after the collision and watched his son pass away. “He said, “Oh, I was grabbing my phone.’”
A frivolous text or Facebook notification is clearly not worth it. Just like all the commercials and billboards say, “It can wait.”
Brandon was on a neighborhood sidewalk when he was struck by the speeding vehicle, said Steve Abrams, Brandon’s grandfather. The boy’s body was found more than 40 feet away from the point of impact.
“(This ordinance) means that (San Antonio is) making its streets safer – not only in our neighborhoods but on the highway. There’s numerous times that – now when I’m driving and I see someone swerving and speeding, (I used to think) oh be careful looks like they’re drunk. Now it’s like, be careful I think they’re texting. Move over, pass them.”
Just as drinking effects your judgement, so does engaging in several activities that require concentration at once. Humans have selective attention – which causes inattentional blindness.
To those that would reject an ordinance like this based on a fear that the government is reaching too far into personal actions, Troy explains, “There’s a point where regulation is not good, but the city (ordinance) is not trying to regulate whether or not you can talk in the car, they’re just regulating the manner that it’s safe to do so. ”
Sure, you can send that text. But do it before or after you get behind the wheel of a two-ton vehicle.
District 10 Councilmember Mike Gallagher initiated the ordinance in August, and in October the Public Safety Committee approved the proposal to move forward to a Council vote. Gallagher wrote an op-ed published in the Rivard Report outlining the need for the ordinance that expands the limited state law and existing ordinances regarding distracted driving.
A 2008 ordinance prohibits only texting on all City streets and a 2010 ordinance prohibits all use of mobile devices in a school zone. The latter will be repealed as the new ordinance covers that ground.
The effectiveness of the ordinance will come down to the awareness campaign as well as enforcement – the latter is a tricky task. Law enforcement will need to witness an often very quick motion driver of eyes and head.
“On my motion, the ordinance includes a request for a report from the City a year from now regarding the effectiveness of the law,” stated District 9 Councilmember Joe Krier in an email. “At the end of 2015, the City will review and report on the statistics to see whether or not this law reduces the number of crashes in San Antonio.”
*Featured/top image: Photo by Flickr user Jim Legans, Jr.
Related Stories:
Distracted Driving Ordinance Goes to City Council
Banning Cellphones Would Not Ban Distraction
District 10 Councilman Calls for Ban on Handheld Phones While Driving
Should San Antonio Ban Driving With Hand-Held Cell Phones?
Police Chief’s Retirement a Loss for San Antonio
Share the Road: SAPD Launches New Program to Catch Unsafe Drivers
and texting, navigating, spotify-ing, pandora-ing, snap-chatting and weather-checking.
Good!
Our odds are going up! To stay alive on the bike.
What changed? I thought they passed this law in 2010.
How will this affect mobile Ham (Amateur) radio operators? They hold a mic up to their mouth to talk.
San Antonio has a problem with folks who drive under the influence. Time and Time again, I seen in the local media of drivers charged with D.W.I. And some of these drivers are repeat offenders. It even seems that when the State removes their (operator’s license) driving privilege. They still manage to find a way of getting behind the wheel.
This distracted driving ordinance sounds like a good idea. Yet, I think it will not put a dent in people who still feel they have a sense of privilege/right to use hand held devices while they are operating a motor vehicle. Regardless, of any ordinance. Local. State…
If they operate a motor vehicle and feel they need to use a hand held device. Some driver’s will simply take a chance and hope they do not get pulled over by law enforcement. And it they get into an accident as a result of this distraction.
Whichever, I am sure there will be exception to this ordinance. In example, if someone has to make an emergency call while they are operating a motor vehicle if they required an emergency assistance. As outlined in this blog.
Yet, the point here is I wonder if folks who are given tickets/citations as a result of this ordinance should also have their State of Texas mandatory auto liability insurance premiums also affected by the habitual offenders of this ordinance. Maybe, this will have offenders take notice. Perhaps, it might work some driver’s choice in what they do as they get behind the wheel. Surely, this is not something that even a defensive driving course can lower your premium rate. Common sense is not something defensive driving should be teaching.
Daver The Neighbor’
Good! I’m tired of the idiots who are talking/txting and can’t stay in their own lane or cut people off.
It’s about time!!!
That this ordinance was passed while the #SAPD Union is currently shaking the city government down for a larger cut of money extorted from residents is no small coincidence– it’s nothing but a revenue generation scheme masked under the guise of “public safety”.
The act of granting an already overpaid police-force yet another pretense to pull over, harass, and extort $200 from drivers for a non-violent crime will never fully eliminate individuals from talking on the phone or lessen the risks posed by distracting CD players, radio units, iPods, GPS devices, loud children, take-out food, genuinely poor drivers, or a myriad of other in-car diversions.
Hooray!
Timing couldn’t be better … was just rear-ended at a stop light (!) by someone texting and driving. Ugh!
Sarah Swan
Even I have a once washed, sorry Motorola blue-tooth ear receiver!
Good!
Thank goodness
Now drivers can neglect to use their turn-signals with BOTH HANDS! This town loves a good BAN.
This law is moronic, won’t save lives, and will simply open the door to further abuse.
What is moronic, actually, is texting, talking, or anything but driving. That’s a deadly weapon we are all riding around in. It only takes a split second to kill or maim someone; maybe even yourself. Seriously.
Hooray & Done, but now, without a front seat passenger, the whole car must suffer through Pandora’s follies.
like this
Yes !
Agree 100%!!
If they are trying to protect the public, then the City Council should realize that “hands free” phone calls are no less distracting, as various studies show.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2013/06/12/aaa-study-using-hands-free-devices-distracts-drivers
Of course, having a conversation with a passenger can be distracting too. Will they ban that? How far can they go?