Cell phone rule starts Sept. 20
In a few weeks Whitefish drivers will
have to use a hands-free device to talk on their cell phones inside
the city limits.
A city ordinance that prohibits the use
of hand-held cell phones while driving goes into affect Sept. 20.
Violators will be issued a minor traffic citation.
Police Chief Bill Dial said his
department will leave enforcement to the discretion of the
officer.
“As with any minor traffic violation we
want to give education and drivers to be informed,” he said. “But
we don’t dictate to officers that it should be a warning or a
citation.”
Dial said he expects most drivers will
comply with the new law.
“I don’t see it as being an issue,” he
said. “It’s been well publicized.”
Signs at the city limits will warn
drivers about the ordinance, which does permit the use of a
hands-free device. Under the ordinance, a driver is not allowed to
use a cell phone or other electronic devices such as a GPS without
the use of a hands-free device. The law includes a provision that
allows a driver to make a phone call to report a fire or police
emergency.
Wireless Connection is holding a sale
on its hands-free devices in conjunction with the ordinance.
Adam Ehli with the store said the
devices have been popular.
“We keep having to re-order,” he
said.
The store offers about 10 different
types of hands-free devices. One is a wired head set that plugs
directly into a cell phone and uses headphones. A second uses
Bluetooth, which allows a cell phone to be linked to a wireless
headset. The third option is a vizor-mounted Bluetooth that has a
speaker or will work through the car’s speakers.
Whitefish joins Missoula, Billings and
Butte as Montana cities that have passed some sort of cell phone
ordinance. Billings prohibits the use of any electronic device
while driving while Missoula’s ordinance speaks only to text
messages.
Dial said the ordinance is about
safety. He’s personally witnessed a driver nearly hit an elderly
women crossing the street because the driver was talking on a cell
phone.
“Are there crashes that have been
related to talking on a cell phone? Probably,” he said.
Drivers cited for violating the
ordinance face a fine of not more than $100 for the first offense
and not more than $300 for each repeat violation.