Story by Merge staff
Leonidas Moncada doesn't want to use hands-free devices even though the cell phone ban started Feb. 5. (Photo by Mindy Vasquez)
The city of Las Cruces is cracking down on text messaging and talking on the phone while driving as of Feb. 5, 2010. Exceptions include the use of a hands-free device, such as a Bluetooth headset and use in emergency (911) situations.
The Las Cruces Police Department will be looking for drivers who are displaying signs of distracted driving and symptoms, according to interim Police Chief Pete Bradley.
“We will be looking for weaving, slowing needlessly, and a number of other similar traffic violations,” Bradley said. “We will also be looking to see if drivers have a cell in their hands.”
The sentence upon conviction for using a cell phone while driving will be $25 for the first offense, $50 for the second offense, and up to a $500 fine and/or 90 days in jail for anything after the second citation. Revenue from the citations for violating the cell phone ordinance will go to the city of Las Cruces general fund.
What do you think?
“I think it’s really dangerous to take your eyes off the road,” senior Jenny Licht said.
“From some of the statistics I read, I think it should have been enacted a long time ago. People will follow the ban when they get tickets,” New Mexico State University sophomore Ariel Hutton said.
Other students seem to echo the same sentiment about not being able to afford the fines. “I plan to go by it because I can’t afford any tickets,” senior Darrell Gomez said.
When asked if text messaging was more dangerous than drunk driving, freshman Jeremy Madrid said, “I think a buzzed driver has more mental capacity than someone who isn’t actually looking at the road.”
A cell phone is still distracting even if it's easy to get to when you're driving. (Photo by Mindy Vasquez)
Cell phones really are distracting
-4 of every 5 accidents (80%) are attributed to distracted drivers. In contrast, drunk drivers account for roughly 1 of 3 (33%) of all accidents nationally.
-Each year, 21% of fatal car crashes involving teenagers between the ages of 16 and 19 were the result of cell phone usage. This result has been expected to grow as much as 4% every year.
-Talking on a cell phone while driving can make a young driver’s reaction time as slow as that of a 70-year-old.
– Statistics provided Edgar Snyder & Associates (www.edgarsnyder.com)
Marco Marquez is already prepared for the cell phone ban with his new bluetooth. (Photo by Mindy Vasquez)
Don’t get a ticket! Get hands-free
Hands-free devices are being promoted at local electronic stores as the ordinance goes into effect. A Verizon associate, Nate Warren, said the city made up pamphlets advertising the ban for the store to hand out locally.
“Our existing customers coming in are asking especially for that. We put an entire wall up for it,” Warren, said.
“We’ve had a ton of people come in asking about hands-free devices,” Radio Shack associate Joel Smith said. “There hasn’t been a huge increase, just a little bit more with the new generation. Nobody wants a ticket.”
What’s everyone else doing?
According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, six states currently prohibit handheld phones and 19 states ban text messaging for all drivers.
Although most other states plan on enacting the same ordinance, a recent study by the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI) showed the bans might not be effective. By comparing collision claims in four U.S. jurisdictions before and after such bans, the institute did not find a decrease in accident claims.
– Elizabeth Lopez, Chelsey Drummond, Matt Morris, Mindy Vasquez, and David Livingstone contributed to this story.