Cell phone banned in school zones in Santa Fe, Texas.

[Texas Streak]

I was reading a website out of Houston and found this article about the City of Santa Fe banning the use of cell phones in a school zones. This makes sense to me how about ya'll?? It is a distraction that could cause the serious injury or death of a student if someone is distracted by their cell phone.


The ordinance reads, "It shall be unlawful for a person to drive or operate a motor vehicle in a school zone on official school days during the hours the school zone is in effect and when school zone signs and signs prohibiting hand-held mobile telephone use are posted in place while using a hand-held mobile telephone to engage in a call or to create, send or read messages or data."

The maximum fine for violating the misdemeanor is $500.

[Zencon]

I think the FCC should allow cell phone jamming like they do in other countries. It should only be allowed in certain places. It never fails, posted signs, verbal warnings, someone isn't paying attention or doesn't care, their cell phone goes off.

How would you enforce the school zone ban? Does that mean if you have a wireless earpiece you are allowed to use it?

[TheTechGuru]

I think the FCC should allow cell phone jamming like they do in other countries. It should only be allowed in certain places. It never fails, posted signs, verbal warnings, someone isn't paying attention or doesn't care, their cell phone goes off.

Jamming must remain illegal, it would interfear with emergency communications. What if a child in a school zone got seriously hurt and no one could use a cell phone to call 911? Vital time would be wasted on someone having to go all the way into the school or someone's house to use a landline.

How would you enforce the school zone ban? Does that mean if you have a wireless earpiece you are allowed to use it?

Cop sits somewhere and watches everyone passing though with some binoculars. Earpiece and speaker phone though your vehcle's sound system would still be allowed. As I see it, talking to someone over the bluetooth speaker phone built into a vehicle's sound system is no different that talking to someone sitting in the passenger seat.

What makes no sense here is one can still use a CB or HAM radio handheld mic.

[Kanpatex]

I'm all for safety in school zones, but I don't think that the physical act of talking on a cell phone is as dangerous as the total mental concentration given to the cell phone discussion. As a sales person who travels extensively, I know that I have had some cell calls that were so engaging regarding business that I have literally driven through a small town and not realized it until the phone call ended and I looked around to see where I was. When you are focused on a conversation, be it cell or with a person in the car, you are not aware of your driving and your are a risk. How you police that, I don't know, but only allowing cell calls when the car is not moving would be a start.

[TheTechGuru]

I don't recall these problems in the "CB Radio" days. Maybe we need to go back to half-duplex communications while driving.

[bigfatfurrytexan]

it is a good idea.

i honestly think that cars should be required to have a link to cell phones built in. It should be standard on every vehicle, as it is just as important as airbags or crumple zones.

[SLAPSH0T]

I was reading a website out of Houston and found this article about the City of Santa Fe banning the use of cell phones in a school zones.

I'd rather ban the sun. The sun distracts me way more than the cell phone does.

[bigfatfurrytexan]

i have tried to figure out how to turn the sun off in the early morning/late evening hours for a long time.

every solution i have destroys Earth. :(