At the Chapel Hill Town Council meeting on Jan. 25, I petitioned the council to open discussions about prohibiting handheld cell phone usage while driving in Chapel Hill. I also proposed that the town hold a public forum on this topic, where concerned citizens could express their opinions. Since the election, I have heard from many citizens who feel that it is becoming increasingly dangerous to drive in Chapel Hill because people are not paying attention to the road. The problem is particularly bad on campus.
Currently, there is no ban on handheld cell phone use while driving in North Carolina, though drivers under 18 and school bus drivers are banned from all cell phone use while driving and all drivers are banned from texting while driving. Local jurisdictions in North Carolina may need specific state statutory authority to ban cell phones. This is a question that Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos will pose to the N.C. legislature if Chapel Hill chooses to go forward with a ban.
Throughout the country, there are seven states that ban handheld cell phone use while driving. Six states allow localities to ban cell phone use while driving and 11 jurisdictions in those states have done so. Localities are prohibited from banning cell phone use in eight states.
Studies conducted by the National Safety Council show that driving while talking on a cell phone is extremely dangerous and puts drivers at a four-times greater risk of a crash. A study conducted by Harvard Center of Risk Analysis concludes that 6 percent of crashes in the United States are due to driving and cell phone usage. That equates to 636,000 crashes, 330,000 injuries, 12,000 serious injuries and about 2,600 deaths each year.
My fellow council members raised many good points at the public forum, such as how the ban would be enforced and who would enforce it on campus. It was also stated that the citizens and students must be educated about the ban and about the dangers of driving while talking on the phone. While we wait for the Joint Legislative Transportation Oversight Committee’s report, due April 15, we will continue to explore how to legally navigate this issue if we choose to move it forward, and to work with local law enforcement to better understand how enforcement would work if this ban were to become law.
Penny Rich
(Rich serves on the Chapel Hill Town Council)