By Andy Sevilla

A new Austin law that requires drivers to put the phone down while navigating the city’s roads could affect Hays County commuters.

About 70 percent of Buda and Kyle residents drive to the Capital City each day for work, according to officials, and non-compliance with a recently implemented law that prohibits the use of electronic hand-held devices while driving or biking could land drivers some hefty fines.

The new Austin law, which went into effect Jan. 1, bans the use of portable devices while driving a vehicle, unless drivers are using a hands-free system, such as a Bluetooth, headphones, or an affixed GPS system. 

Breaking the new rule is a citable offense — Class C misdemeanor — with a penalty of up to $500, according to a city new release. 

Portable electronic devices include: mobile telephone, personal digital assistant, MP3 or other hand-held music player, electronic reading device, laptop computer, pager, broadband personal communication device, GPS or navigation system, electronic gaming system, or portable computing device. 

The ban does allow for hand-held cell phone use in the event of an emergency, like dialing 9-1-1 or 3-1-1 to report a crime or accident, though officials caution it’s best to pull over before picking up the phone.

“Austin is leading the state of Texas in the effort to refocus drivers on the task of driving. The hands-free initiative aims to increase safety by decreasing distracted driving in Austin,” the city news release states.

In 2012, an estimated 421,000 people were injured nationwide in vehicle crashes involving at least one distracted driver, according to Distraction.gov, the official U.S. government website for distracted driving. 

The 2012 figure represents a nine percent increase over the 387,000 injured in 2011, the website states.

In Texas, there were close to 91,000 reportable distracted driving motor vehicle wrecks in 2012, and over 95,000 in 2013, according to an Austin news release. 

In the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Austin District, which includes Hays and ten other counties, there were 7,738 reportable distracted driving vehicle crashes in 2012, and 7,719 in 2013. The distracted driving wrecks resulted in 28 and 22 deaths in 2012, 2013, respectively in the Austin area.

Austin officials have said police officers will issue warnings to drivers not complying with the law this month, and fines will begin in February. 

San Antonio also implemented a similar law Jan. 1. The Alamo City also will issue warnings to drivers using hand-held devices while driving this month, with citation issuances beginning in February.