Cell Phone Use While Driving Ban
San Antonio Cell Phone Use While Driving Ban Goes Into Effect: What You Need to Know
2015 is here, which means there’s a lot to look forward to, but also some pretty significant changes which you need to be aware of.
The City of San Antonio, starting in January, has officially banned the handheld use of cell phones while driving. For those in San Antonio used to making and taking phone calls on their cell phones while on the road, attention really needs to be paid to this new ban.
What Exactly is Prohibited with this New Cell Phone Use While Driving Ban?
Residents of San Antonio should already be aware of the previous ban on doing anything other than making and taking phone calls on their cell phones. Typing and sending text messages, looking at Facebook updates on their phones, and other distracting uses of the cell phone while driving had already been banned, but the City of San Antonio has taken this ban one step further with a total ban on holding a cell phone to make or take a call, send a text message, or browse the Web.
Although the cell phone use while driving ban makes it illegal to hold a cell phone while making and taking a call, it is still possible to use a hands-free device such as Bluetooth, headset, or speaker to make and take calls in the vehicle while driving.
What If I’m pulled Over for Holding My Cell Phone to Make or Take a Call While Driving?
Although the new cell phone use while driving ordinance went into effect on January 1st, 2015, it’s likely that only warnings will be issued for a 30-day period for those pulled over for holding a cell phone to make or take calls while driving (see here). After this, drivers caught holding a cell phone to make or take a call could be fined $200.
What’s the Reasoning Behind this New Cell Phone Use While Driving Ordinance?
According to the Texas Department of Transportation, distracted driving on Texas roadways (which also includes talking on the cell phone) caused 459 deaths and 18,500 serious injuries in 2013; and according to the San Antonio Express News, there has been more than 250 crashes linked to cell phone use in each of the past three years in San Antonio.
Distracted driving and ways to curtail distracted driving has become more of a topic of debate in recent years for city councils, and the Austin City Council is another city council which has joined San Antonio in banning the use of holding a cell phone to make or take calls while driving starting on January 1st.