If this Boise ordinance passes, you couldn’t use your phone while driving — even at a light
Boise is seeking to crack down on people using their cellphones while driving.
City Council President Pro Tem Holli Woodings is proposing an ordinance to ban the use of cellphones while driving except in “a hands-free mode of operation” or in certain emergency situations.
Meridian passed a similar ordinance in October.
“Their ordinance makes a ton of sense,” Woodings said. “It’s a huge public safety issue on our roads.”
State legislators have recently introduced a bill on the issue, although it would preempt any city restrictions on handheld devices.
The text of Wooding’s proposed ordinance, written with the advice of Interim Police Chief Mike Masterson, would assess no points for the first violation. A subsequent violation within five years could lead to points on your license, although a specific number is not yet set. Woodings said she wants to hear what the public has to say.
Racking up 12 to 17 points in any 12-month period can lead to a 30-day license suspension. Higher point totals can bring longer suspensions.
Meridian’s ordinance does not include points but does come with a $90 fine.
Boise traffic statistics show that “most of the accidents” officers investigate result from some form of distracted driving, Woodings wrote in a memo to the other members of Boise City Council. A law to stop cellphone use would ideally help cut down on such accidents, she said.
“We’re trying to prevent that behavior because it’s been shown time and time again that it can result in tragedy,” she said by phone.
Meridian Police spokeswoman Stephany Galbreaith said that it’s too early to tell whether the city’s law is successful.
There was an education period of a few months in which the law wasn’t enforced. Hard enforcement of Meridian’s law began at the beginning of January. Officers issued 32 infractions in the first week the law was enforced, she said, split about evenly between warnings and actual citations.
Galbreaith said many officers report seeing fewer people with phones in their hands.
Boise would use the same approach, Woodings said, with actual enforcement likely not starting before summer.
Current state laws allow drivers to be cited for inattentive driving, texting while driving and following too closely.
Joe Palmer, a Republican from Meridian who is chairman of the Idaho House Transportation Committee, introduced a bill last week to impose a statewide ban on phone use while driving and supersede ordinances like Meridian’s. Palmer says his bill would allow police to issue $90 tickets for distracted driving.
Woodings, who used to represent the North End’s District 19 in the Legislature, said she was moving forward anyway because she learned as a legislator that “even the best-laid plans can get derailed in many different places.”
“I think it’s important for cities to address this problem, even in conjunction with the state,” she said.
Boise Mayor Lauren McLean looks forward to supporting Woodings’ proposal, a spokeswoman said.
In the days after Meridian passed its ban, leaders of other governments had not worked on their own version of the ordinance, although some expressed interest. A similar restriction is still in the development phase for Ada County.
Woodings said the feedback she’s gotten on her proposal from constituents has been “only positive” so far.
The council will talk about it at its work session at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 14, at Boise City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd.
This story was originally published January 14, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
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