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Flower Mound seeks to limit cell phone use in school zones
By Chris Roark, Staff Writer
Soon, the flashing yellow lights in Flower Mound school zones could also warn drivers to hang up the cell phone.
At Monday's meeting, the town council will look at a proposal that is designed to ban cell phone use in school zones. It will apply to handsets only and not hands-free accessories.
The idea has been spearheaded by council member Al Filidoro, but by the end of the night, he said he thinks most of his fellow members will agree that it's in the best interest of the town.
So far, accidents linked to cell phone use in school zones hasn't happened in Flower Mound, according to a report the police department gave town manager Harlan Jefferson. But police said it's only a matter of time.
"We've had reports from crossing guards telling us that people aren't paying attention," said Lt. Wendell Mitchell, a spokesman for the Flower Mound Police Department. "And, a large number of those people are on their cell phone and are pulling in to an occupied crosswalk. If this is passed by the council, we are going to begin an aggressive education campaign so that people are aware of it."
Filidoro said the likely cost of a first-time citation would be $75, but the fine could be as high as $200 for repeat offenders. He said the initiative is not aimed at raising money, though.
"We want this to be about safety and awareness," Filidoro said. "Not about raising revenue."
One way the plan will raise awareness is with a warning system. Filidoro said that under the plan, crossing guards will be able to write down license plate numbers of the drivers driving unsafely in the school zones while talking on their cell phone. The information will then be turned over to the police, who will mail the drivers a warning.
Also, the plan will call for signs to be put up reminding drivers that they are in a school zone and cell phone use is prohibited. Filidoro said the plan will have its limits, though, as it won't sacrifice safety just to pursue an offender.
"We just want people to be aware," Filidoro said. "The yellow flashing lights are there for a reason."
Mitchell said the plan is patterned after police departments in University Park, which was the first city in Texas to adopt such an ordinance, and Highland Park.
University Park began its ordinance Jan. 7. Steve Mace, community information officer for University Park, said in the first three weeks of the program, there were 170 citations written to drivers who used a handset in a school zone.
“Given the high volume of traffic, we’re not surprised by that number,” Mace said. “The number of citations has begun to decline, not only because our ordinance, but also because Highland Park has a similar measure. People are starting to be aware of this.”
Mace said University Park never had an incident with a driver on a cell phone hitting a pedestrian in a school zone, but like Flower Mound, the city wanted to take preventative action first.
“Listening to PTA representatives who are watching the loading and unloading process, we know that there have been some narrow misses,” Mace said. “The bottom line is, if we prevent one serious injury or death from happening, then this ordinance is more than worth it.”
Mitchell said if the legislation is approved by the council, enforcement could start by April.
"If after the first year there are no citations issued," Filidoro said, "then, I will know that it worked."
From there, Filidoro hopes to see the effects spread ... possibly to cell phone and auto companies, which he hopes will begin aggressively promoting hands-free devices.
"We've been lucky so far," Filidoro said. "But, we need to take a proactive approach."
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