Driver cell-phone use banned in Columbia Falls

People in Columbia Falls must now keep their cell phones and other electronic communications devices put away while they drive or risk being cited and fined for a civil infraction.

City Council members on Monday adopted a citywide ban on the use of handheld electronic devices by drivers. The new ordinance takes effect Thursday, Sept. 6.

Crews will put up street signs along major entrances to the city and for the first 30 days police officers will warn drivers they stop, City Manager Susan Nicosia said.

Proposed in June, the ordinance drew few public comments.

Federal highway safety officials have recommended states adopt these types of bans to cut down on inattentive driving and several dozen states already have done so, Nicosia said. Montana is not one of those states, and absent any action by the legislature, Columbia Falls and several other cities in the state have decided to take the matter into their own hands.

Whitefish enacted a similar ban last fall.

The ordinance was proposed in Columbia Falls after several instances of inattentive driving.

“Council members brought it up because every one of them could cite a problem with inattentive driving,” Nicosia said.

Those instances included a man who drove into the Flathead River on May 2 because he was text-messaging while driving. Just an hour earlier that day, the same man was texting when he rear-ended another vehicle on U.S. 2.

While the ordinance has been a quiet issue in the city, Nicosia said there appears to be widespread support.

“Council members have said they’ve heard from people who said we need to do this. Literally, we’ve had people walk by [City Hall] and give thumbs up and say this is the right thing to do,” she said of the public response.

Drivers who violate the ordinance face a fine of up to $100 for their first offense and up to $300 for subsequent offenses.

The ordinance applies to both drivers of motor vehicles and bicycle riders on public roads.

It does not apply to passengers, to people who are reporting a health, fire, safety or police emergency, to drivers with an amateur radio license or other drivers using two-way radios for work-related duties, or to drivers of authorized emergency vehicles.

Drivers may pull over and park out of moving traffic lanes to use cell phones and other devices, or use a hands-free device while they drive.

Reporter Tom Lotshaw may be reached at 758-4483 or by email at tlotshaw@dailyinterlake.com.