March 29, 2011 - 8:07pm
Around Ann Arbor: City Council moves forward on plan to ban use of portable electronics while driving
BY DYLAN CINTI
Ann Arbor City Council has moved forward on a proposed city-wide ordinance that would ban the use of “portable electronic devices” — like cell phones — while driving or cycling.
At a meeting on Monday night, the council approved the first reading of the ban. If passed, the ordinance would prohibit drivers and cyclists from talking or texting on cell phones, as well as typing information into a navigational system. Violation of the ordinance would result in a $125 ticket.
Councilmember Stephen Rapundalo (D–Ward 2), who proposed the ordinance, called up two people — a University professor and the city’s police chief — to advocate for the ordinance.
Paul Green, a research professor at the University’s Transportation Research Institute, told the council that cell phone usage substantially increases the risk of car crashes.
According to Green, texting while driving is especially dangerous, and increases the risk of an accident by a factor of 14.
Green said drivers are increasingly operating cell phones while driving and according to him that will undoubtedly result in more car accidents.
“Cell phone usage is a discretionary task,” Green said.
Green added that the ban on entering information into GPS systems would not prohibit drivers from looking at a navigation display while driving. He also said drivers would still be able to enter information while stopped at stationary points like traffic lights.
In a presentation following Green’s, Ann Arbor Police Chief Barnett Jones also endorsed the proposed ordinance.
Jones advocated that the ordinance be enforced as a primary offense instead of a secondary offense. This would mean that drivers could be pulled over specifically for violating the ordinance.
The proposed ban does not currently extend to hands-free devices because, according to Rapundalo, that would be too difficult to enforce.
Councilmember Marcia Higgins (D – Ward 4) disagreed, arguing that if such a ban were enacted, it should include hands-free technology, since the potential for distraction with hands-free devices is still very high.
In an interview after the meeting, Councilmember Mike Anglin (D – Ward 5) called a hands-free ban “absurd” and said it would result in embarrassing mistakes like cops pulling people over for singing along to music or talking to themselves.
Anglin said a hands-free ban, while ideal, is simply not feasible.
The ordinance will return to City Council for a second reading after revisions are made, according to Anglin. These changes include addressing the issue of hands-free devices as well as deciding whether the ban will be a primary or secondary offense.
Legislation banning texting while driving recently passed through both houses of the Michigan Legislature, but has yet to be officially endorsed by Democratic Gov. Granholm, according to a Feb. 25 article in The Michigan Daily.
The Daily article also reported that seven states already have laws prohibiting talking on cell phones while driving. Additionally, 21 states and the District of Columbia enforce bans on texting while driving.
