The Chapel Hill Town Council moved one step closer to banning all cellphone use while driving at its meeting Monday night.
The council received two proposals, one to continue looking into an ordinance banning driving while talking on a cellphone and another that would launch an education campaign on the practice’s dangers. But the council passed only the first in a six-to-two vote.
To continue with the process, Town Attorney Ralph Karpinos will draft the ordinance banning cellphone use and will also write a letter to the N.C. Attorney General asking for his opinion on the issue.
If passed, the ordinance would add to the N.C. law prohibiting texting while driving that took effect Dec. 1, 2009.
The penalty for drivers caught texting behind the wheel is a $100 fine.
Some town council members said Monday’s resolution is a move toward ensuring the safety of the Chapel Hill community.
“It is Chapel Hill’s responsibility to help keep drivers safe,” council member Penny Rich said.
“We should deal with this now instead of later.”
But other council members believed the proposal would be too difficult to enforce, because it could be hard for law enforcement to tell if someone is on the phone.
