Published in The Voice.
Glendale may ban texting behind the wheel
By Sharon Weltz
The City of Glendale is in the process of drafting an ordinance modeled after Phoenix's 2007 law making it illegal to engage in texting while operating a motor vehicle, with violators receiving up to a $250 citation.
"We are still actively looking into details of the ban," said City of Glendale Public Information Officer Gerald Sydnor. “There’s no doubt that texting while driving is dangerous,” he said.
Should a texting while driving ban be passed in Glendale, violators traveling on Glendale Community College (GCC) property may be subject to the same citations. GCC Public Safety Officer Andrew Olesky said it would depend on how the state or city ordinance was written.
“If the ordinance is written to include public throughways only, then it would not apply to drivers traveling on private property,” he said. The GCC campus is considered private property.
Arizona is also considering a statewide ban. At this writing, 30 states and Washington, D.C. have banned texting while driving.
Glendale residents with questions are encouraged ask them during City Council meetings, which take place on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Regular meetings are held in the Council Chambers, Glendale Municipal Office Complex, 5850 W. Glendale Ave., at 7 p.m.
According to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) website (www.distraction.gov), drivers are 23.3 times more likely to be in an accident if they are texting while driving.
In 2009, DOT statistics reported 5,474 people killed and almost 500,000 injured in accidents where distracted driving was involved. People are risking their safety to engage in texting while driving, and it is a cultural epidemic.
A report conducted by Strategy Analytics Consumer Insights revealed that every day, 38 percent of U.S. smartphone owners compose at least one text message while driving, 40 percent read at least one text message, 25 percent read e-mail and 40 percent type an e-mail while driving.
The City of Glendale is in the process of drafting an ordinance modeled after Phoenix's 2007 law making it illegal to engage in texting while operating a motor vehicle, with violators receiving up to a $250 citation.
"We are still actively looking into details of the ban," said City of Glendale Public Information Officer Gerald Sydnor. “There’s no doubt that texting while driving is dangerous,” he said.
Should a texting while driving ban be passed in Glendale, violators traveling on Glendale Community College (GCC) property may be subject to the same citations. GCC Public Safety Officer Andrew Olesky said it would depend on how the state or city ordinance was written.
“If the ordinance is written to include public throughways only, then it would not apply to drivers traveling on private property,” he said. The GCC campus is considered private property.
Arizona is also considering a statewide ban. At this writing, 30 states and Washington, D.C. have banned texting while driving.
Glendale residents with questions are encouraged ask them during City Council meetings, which take place on the second and fourth Tuesdays of the month. Regular meetings are held in the Council Chambers, Glendale Municipal Office Complex, 5850 W. Glendale Ave., at 7 p.m.
According to the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) website (www.distraction.gov), drivers are 23.3 times more likely to be in an accident if they are texting while driving.
In 2009, DOT statistics reported 5,474 people killed and almost 500,000 injured in accidents where distracted driving was involved. People are risking their safety to engage in texting while driving, and it is a cultural epidemic.
A report conducted by Strategy Analytics Consumer Insights revealed that every day, 38 percent of U.S. smartphone owners compose at least one text message while driving, 40 percent read at least one text message, 25 percent read e-mail and 40 percent type an e-mail while driving.