By Moses Leos III
First Wimberley, then Buda and now Kyle have joined the trend of Hays County cities opting to ban the use of mobile devices while driving.
By a 7-0 vote early Wednesday morning, the Kyle City Council approved an ordinance that restricts drivers and bicyclists from operating cell phones, tablets or electronic devices with their hands while driving their vehicles.
The city council’s unanimous vote means the ordinance will go into effect immediately. The ordinance, however, includes a grace period that ends on Nov. 1. Kyle Police will issue warnings to those who break the law until the grace period ends.
Within Kyle’s ordinance, drivers and bicyclists cannot engage in a call or send text messages. In addition, drivers cannot view photos, surf the Internet or other operations associated with a mobile device while operating a vehicle.
A hands-free device includes a device with speakerphone capability, telephone attachment such as a Bluetooth headset, or any device that allows use of a mobile device without it being in the operator’s reach.
Exceptions include someone using their phone while legally parked or driving on private property, or the driver is an emergency official or law enforcement officer, or someone who is using a hands-free device.
As a result of the ordinance, Kyle Police Chief Jeff Barnett said drivers would be prohibited from using their devices while stopped at traffic signals or stop signs, unless they utilize a hands-free device.
Other exceptions include reporting illegal activity to law enforcement officials, and communicating with emergency response operators in the event of an emergency situation.
Kyle becomes the third city in Hays County to enact hands-free legislation. Wimberley enacted similar legislation in March, followed by Buda, which passed a hands-free ordinance in July. All three cities join Austin, which enacted that city’s hands-free ordinance in 2014.
