Texting while driving makes a crash up to 23 times more likely. In 2015, the “Hands Free Ordinance” went into effect in San Antonio. This ordinance fines any driver using a hand-held device, like a cellphone. “It’s a pretty significant amount of people caught using their hand-held devices while driving,” said Sgt. Jesse Salame with the San Antonio Police Department. Between February and December of 2015 10,539 citations were issued to local drivers — 162 of those citations were issued in a school zone. The fines can be steep for talking on a cellphone while driving: the fines can be up to $200 for each offense, not including court fees; the fees can nearly double if the citation was issued in a school zone. Nearly 4,000 people were given warnings for violating the ordinance from January 1, 2015 to December 1, 2015. The recent ordinance was set into place to help take a bite out of the city’s pedestrian-related traffic incidences.
“We know people are going to use their phones sometimes,” said Sgt. Salame. “It’s unfortunate, but distracted driving can be as dangerous as drinking and driving, or driving while you’re sleepy.” For example, if a driver is traveling at 55 mph, the time it takes read or answer a text message equals driving the length of a football field without looking at the road. Sgt. Salame has stated that it’s too soon to tell if the ordinance has had any effect but it’s important to obey the ordinance.” Being fined for driving while talking on a cellphone is easily avoidable. While driving use a Bluetooth headset or hands-free device to proper your phone up while driving. It’s important to keep any cellphone that isn’t hands-free out of sight. 5 seconds is the minimal amount of attention that a driver who texts takes away from the road.