Chapel Hill, NC council bans cell-phone use while driving

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Chapel Hill, NC council bans cell-phone use while driving

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March 27, 2012: Chapel Hill, NC council bans cell-phone use while driving
  • Talking on a cell phone while driving in Chapel Hill becomes illegal June 1.
    The town became the first in the nation to pass an ordinance outlawing talking on both hand-held and hands-free cell phones while driving. After two years of discussion on the issue, the council voted 5-4 Monday night.
    The ordinance applies to all streets town-wide, including state-owned roads. Drivers would be allowed to make emergency calls, and calls with a spouse, parent or child. Violators will be fined $25.
    Council member Donna Bell said the ban is a good first step in continuing a conversation about driving safety. She said she hopes the General Assembly will soon follow with a statewide law.
    "I wish that this was broader, but I think that this is a first step," she said.
    The ban defies an opinion from the state attorney general's office that the town lacks the authority to prohibit talking on cell phones while driving.
    Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos wrote the state attorney general last year asking if the town had the statutory authority to regulate cell phone use.
    Assistant Attorney General Jess Mekeel said no.
    The National Transportation Safety Board sent a letter of support to Mayor Mark Kleinschmidt in February supporting a ban.
    Evanston, Illinois, has a ban on hands-held cell phones while driving and is currently considering banning hands-free as well.
    The home of Northwestern University has a population of 77,000 residents compared to Chapel Hill's 58,000, she said. In the two years since it enacted the ban on hand-held cellphones while driving, accidents have decreased 17.6 percent, Chapel Hill Town Council member Penny Rich has said.
    Evanston fines people $50 per offense, up to $200 if a person using a cellphone gets into an accident
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