Distracted Driving Ordinance in effect January
Sunday, December 21, 2014 by Elizabeth Pagano
As of Jan. 1, Austin’s new Distracted Driving law will be in effect, and enforced. The ordinance prohibits the use of hand-held devices while operating a vehicle or bicycle. While drivers (and cyclists) will continue to be allowed to use hands-free systems and affixed GPS systems while driving, the following are prohibited under the new law:
- cellphones
- PDAs
- portable music players
- e-books
- laptops
- pagers
- handheld navigation systems
- gaming devices
- other portable computing devices
According to the city’s website, distracted driving includes texting, “using a cellphone for any reason,” eating and drinking, talking to passengers, grooming, reading maps, using a navigation system, watching a video and adjusting the radio.
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