A lot of momentum seems to be developing for the idea that Austin will ban drivers from using hand-held devices while driving. In February, the Austin City Council appointed a Distracted Driving Study Group to look at the problem of distracted driving. On Monday, the study group released a memo recommending that the city council outlaw the use of handheld devices while driving. There seem to be two main reasons for this. One, using a hand held cell phone while driving can be distracting and dangerous. Two, making it illegal to use hand held devices would make it easier to enforce the ban on texting whiile driving (now it’s difficult to tell is someone is texting or dialing a phone number).
I’ll keep you posted on the story as details emerge. In the meantime, KXAN has done a nice story on the issue. You can watch it below.
