It may wind up being a bit more than that.
The days of eating double-bacon cheeseburgers, putting on makeup and sending text messages from behind the wheel could be numbered in the Alamo City.
Police Chief William McManus on Wednesday made a pitch to the City Council’s Governance Committee for a citywide ordinance that would “prohibit failing to pay full-time attention to driving.” His recommendation stemmed from a memo from District 4 interim Councilwoman Leticia Cantu, who is seeking a ban on texting while driving.
Cantu said she decided to push for an ordinance after a recent near-miss in which she and her 18-year-old daughter were almost hit by an oncoming driver. “The guy was texting,” she said.
That first bit would be the stuff of Ken Hoffman‘s nightmares, but I rather doubt it will happen. My guess is that San Antonio will follow the example of many other Texas cities and simply ban texting while driving. And again, I expect this to come up before the Lege next year, with the goal being a single statewide standard for this.
This is a no brain-er.
I can’t tell you how many times I have been driving down Westheimer between Montrose and Shepherd and watched a car on front of me swerve in and out of its lane. What was the idiot doing? Texting.
I personally would like to see ALL non-hands free mobile use banned while driving. If the call is that important or you just have to send that text to your stupid friend, stop and pull over. Start acting like an adult people. My life (or the life of the people I love) is not worth “OMG! Did u hear…” or an update on your stupid facebook status.
Great decision, This is the direction they need to go with traffic safety. I think I read something like 28% of all accidents involved texting or talking while on the phone. This also gives police officers a reason to pull people over and initiate a search or license and contraband check. We need it in Houston.