Perhaps not surprisingly, the city council today approved a ban on hand-held cell phone use in school zones and authorized spending $144,000 to erect 2,623 signs in the 651 city school zones, according to a DMN article. (The money is expected to be generated from $200 fines for violating the law; simple math says police probably will initially feel some city-induced pressure to write 720 tickets to make sure the policy is budget-neutral. That’s about one violation per school zone.)
If you think about it, voting against this measure would have been like voting against mom and apple pie (I guess Chevrolet probably isn’t appropriate here anymore). The News article says Mayor Tom Leppert acknowledged research that indicates cellphone bans don’t really work and can even waste government resources; he said it’s worth giving the policy a chance and that the council may review the policy later to see if it’s working. (Too bad he didn’t follow that thought process before gutting the city’s Verified Alarm System policy a few months ago.)
Somehow, I don’t see any council members — now or in the future — willing to fall on their swords and vote out the policy. This is a policy that will never go away, no matter how effective or ineffective it eventually becomes — it will be just too politically charged to disappear. Anyway, the ban doesn’t include the wired-in Bluetooth phones or behind-the-ear models, just the hand-held ones.
The Wine Curmudgeon 
I can’t for the life of me understand why they’re only banned in school zones. I guess it’s because they know no politician would be so politically incorrect as to assert that there’s something wrong with protecting children — but my point is, don’t we want to protect adults as well? I feel the same way about the presidential candidates’ guaranties to make sure all children are covered with healthcare. How about making sure all people are covered with healthcare so we’re all benefiting equally from our tax dollar input.
Paula: who cares where this law bans cell phones? As Rick intimated, it’s ineffective. Several studies show that hands-free cell use is just as dangerous as hand held use.
Rick: Things like this really irritates me. A lone city councilman who voted against this could have had a bully pulpit to attack a burgeoning pool of laws that feel nice but do no good.
Give it a chance to do what? Reduce injuries caused by cell phone use in school zones from 0 down to 0? I keep looking for articles about the carnage cell phone use has caused in our school zones and elsewhere, but can’t seem to find any. Readers’ assistance here would be appreciated. It really would if you know of some.
I’m disappointed that our Council shows no more respect for the law than to simply play with it. Without good evidence that we have a real problem and without good research that this would help it, such a measure amounts to a cavalier disregard for the power and responsibility associated with the authority to put laws into place. Like with so many other freedoms we enjoy, just because you can do something doesn’t necessarily mean that you should.
I for one applaud any ban on cell phone use, so at least this is a start. I’m all for call phone bans in school zones and around the Greenbelt in Lake Highlands because we also need to make sure we keep an eye out for those coyotes and make sure they don’t get hurt either. It’s all about the kids and the coyotes!
I for one applaud any ban on cell phone use, so at least this is a start. I’m all for call phone bans in school zones and around the Greenbelt in Lake Highlands because we also need to make sure we keep an eye out for those coyotes and make sure they don’t get hurt either. It’s all about the kids and the coyotes!
Humans are finding ways to make life easier for us and one of them are cell phones,we invented cellphones for us to get in-touch with our love one’s wherever we are or wherever they are,so why do we have to ban cell phones in schools?your alibis are not enough for this issue.
Oh, it’s not ban cellphones in schools, it’s ban them while driving in school zones. We need to ban them while driving, period, because accidents from driving while using cellphones has now outranked accidents caused from drunk driving.
>I guess it’s because they know no politician would be so politically incorrect as to assert that
>there’s something wrong with protecting children
Wow, Paula. I guess I’m finally learning exactly where you are coming from. Thanks.
>I guess it’s because they know no politician would be so politically incorrect as to assert that
>there’s something wrong with protecting children
Wow, Paula. I guess I’m finally learning exactly where you are coming from. Thanks.