Earlier this month, the Nacogdoches City Council passed an ordinance regulating electronic messaging while driving inside the city limits.
“The ordinance makes it illegal to send, view or compose electronic messages, which includes texting, e-mails, and internet messages, while driving”, said Sgt. Greg Sowell of the Nacogdoches Police Department. “It is still permissible to talk on the phone and dial or deactivate a call” he said.
The ordinance also allows for the activation of a global positioning or navigation device that is affixed to the vehicle. There is an exception in the ordinance for emergencies, and operators of emergency vehicles.
Signs notifying drivers of the ordinance will be placed at major entry points into the city. After an adjustment period, police may begin issuing citations to violators. The maximum fine for violating this law is $500.00.
“As with any law, we are hoping for voluntary compliance from the driving public”, he said.
This law results in less freedom for citizens of east Texas, and just provides the police another “legal” reason to detain and fine us. Once we start outlawing peaceful activities, we are walking a slippery slope. We already have laws prohibiting dangerous or distracted driving, we should just enforce them. What about eating behind the wheel? How about applying make up? Radio? Speaking with your passengers? How do the police verify that someone was indeed texting? Confiscate your phone? Subpoena phone records?
More government control is rarely the solution to our problems – even local government.