Chapel Hill will soon become the first town in the nation to make it illegal for drivers on municipal roads to use handheld and hands-free cellphones after the Chapel Hill Town Council passed a ban Monday.
Councilwoman Penny Rich began petitioning the council more than two years ago to create the ordinance.
“It’s the next step. We just took it before anyone else,” she said. “This is really about education. It’s not about giving out tickets.”
Still, the ban has sparked criticism because of its enforceability and for possibly overstepping town authority.
“I know that the state is not going to entertain a ban on cellphone use any time soon, if at all,” said Laurin Easthom who voted against the ordinance.
The ordinance makes cellphone use while driving a secondary offense, so police can’t stop drivers for phone use without another reason to pull them over. A town campaign will inform residents about the ban before it goes into effect June 1.
“I think in theory it makes sense because it is a distraction, but at the same time, they may as well exclude conversation in general because that’s a distraction too.”
- Cameron Bradley, freshman, English major
“I think that ultimately, it’s going to lead to people who look like students getting tickets. It’s not going to be applied equally. It doesn’t make much sense and by much, I mean any.”
- Rosemary Johnson, junior, English
