Boise could ban drivers from using cellphones. Here’s how much a violation would cost
Just two weeks after its work session on a proposed ordinance to ban the use of cellphones while driving, the Boise City Council has scheduled a public hearing on it.
Boiseans will have the chance to weigh in at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at Boise City Hall, 150 N. Capitol Blvd.
The ordinance, proposed by council member Holli Woodings, would ban drivers from using cellphones except in “a hands-free mode of operation” or in emergency situations. It’s a lot like on an ordinance passed by Meridian in October.
At present, Boise police officers can cite drivers under three code sections for distracted driving, including inattentive driving, texting while driving and following too closely.
Statistics from the Boise Police Department show that most traffic accidents in the city result from some form of distracted driving. From 2016 to 2019, police issued 4,444 citations for following too closely, and a combined total of 1,857 for inattentive driving and texting while driving, according to a city news release.
Woodings called the use of cellphones a “huge public safety issue on our roads.” Most citations are given only after an accident has happened, 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 in a phone interview earlier this month.
The ban would apply even to drivers stopped at red lights. During a work session on the proposal on Jan. 14, that ended up being one of the only concerns of other members of the council.
Council member T.J. Thomson said he didn’t have a problem with people checking phones while stopped, saying he’s done it himself. Woodings responded that studies show it takes about 30 seconds for people to fully regain awareness of their surroundings, meaning they might not notice pedestrians or cyclists at first.
Woodings drafted her proposed ordinance with the advice of Interim Police Chief Mike Masterson. It’s similar to an ordinance passed by Meridian in October, including a $90 fine for violations plus court costs. The draft Woodings proposed to the council suggested using license points as a deterrent, but that provision has since been removed, Woodings said Thursday.
Meridian rolled out its ordinance with a soft “education period,” where officers focused on teaching drivers about the new law before they began enforcing it at the beginning of January. Boise’s law would likely operate the same way.
Boise’s ordinance comes at the same time that the Legislature is considering an all-out ban on phone use. Joe Palmer, a Republican from Meridian who is the chairman of the Idaho House Transportation Committee, introduced a bill earlier this month that would allow police to issue $90 tickets for distracted driving.
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 3:27 PM.
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