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Texting ban in Canfield to start Friday
TweetBy Elise Franco
Canfield
City police hope a new ban on texting will help force drivers to keep their eyes on the road.
The texting ordinance, adopted by city council in September, goes into effect Friday, said police Chief Chuck Colucci. He said he pushed for the ban because of the nationwide increase in texting-related traffic accidents.
“We took the proactive stance because of the increase,” he said. “We truly care about traffic safety in our community, and our commitment to our residents is to provide the safest streets possible.”
The ordinance says that no one is permitted to send or read mobile text messages or e-mails while driving a car within city limits.
Colucci said though officers have the authority to stop drivers on that violation alone, they won’t be targeting motorists.
“It’s a primary violation in the city, so if we do observe somebody texting, they can be stopped,” he said. “We’re not just going to be out looking for people, though. We’ll look for other things like left of center and following too closely.”
A first offense is a $100 fine, second is $250, and anything after that is up to $500 per violation, according to the ordinance.
City Manager Joe Warino said the ban is something that is needed, not just in Canfield.
“If we can save a life, it’s done its job,” he said. “It was kind of staggering, the number of accidents [nationwide] related to texting and use of cell phones within vehicles.”
Warino said notices will be posted at main thoroughfares in the city so motorists crossing community borders are aware of the law.
Colucci said he doesn’t know of any texting- related incidents in the city, and he hopes with the new ban, there won’t ever be one.
“People need to realize they’re going to be held accountable for their actions,” he said. “When texting, you have divided your attention and put yourself and passenger in your vehicle, as well as other motorists, at risk.”
Comments
Must not have read the new study that says this law makes it more dangerous, the fools hold the phone on their lap instead of up on the wheel were they can see the road.
Whether you hold it in your lap or up where you can see it, it is still dangerous. Pull over to the side if it is THAT impt.! Problem solved.
What? You mean I can't read the newspaper while I drive into work anymore? Damn!
I wonder if this replies to reading email?
Thank You Canfield
Texting is by far, the most dangerous of all things that people do in moving cars. We need nation-wide laws prohibiting this stupid practice. Inocent people are dying as a result of people not being able to live without their cell phones for a few moments. Crazy.
Funny how some people are too dumb and need laws in place to teach them not to do something that COMMON SCENCE would teach them to do. But the way Americans are today, Doesn't suprise me anymore.
Just set up patrols within 2 blocks of CHS after school lets out and you'll pick up an additional 2k-3k per day in $.
KA-CHING!!
Word, dawgalong. Same thing at Boardman and Mooney. The issue is going to be getting the officers to actually be around to enforce it. I have bitched for years about the kids speeding through my neighborhood on their way to Mooney and to date I have yet to see one of them pulled over. The issue seems to be that the judges don't want tickets in their courts for less then 10 mph over, meaning the punks, soccer/van moms and self-important attorneys cutting through to downtown can beat a-- at 35 on a residential 25 mph street. And this has come from the mouths of Boardman police. You can have all the ordinances and laws but they don't do a damn bit of good when the police won't/don't enforce them. And when the self-important a-holes this area is filled with do not care about the laws. It's all "me me me" and they have no respect for the law or people in the neighborhoods where they speed. It's one of those things that something bad needs to happen to these jacka--es before they realize that they are jacka--es...