Cell phone rule starts Sept. 20

In a few weeks Whitefish drivers will

have to use a hands-free device to talk on their cell phones inside

the city limits.

A city ordinance that prohibits the use

of hand-held cell phones while driving goes into affect Sept. 20.

Violators will be issued a minor traffic citation.

Police Chief Bill Dial said his

department will leave enforcement to the discretion of the

officer.

“As with any minor traffic violation we

want to give education and drivers to be informed,” he said. “But

we don’t dictate to officers that it should be a warning or a

citation.”

Dial said he expects most drivers will

comply with the new law.

“I don’t see it as being an issue,” he

said. “It’s been well publicized.”

Signs at the city limits will warn

drivers about the ordinance, which does permit the use of a

hands-free device. Under the ordinance, a driver is not allowed to

use a cell phone or other electronic devices such as a GPS without

the use of a hands-free device. The law includes a provision that

allows a driver to make a phone call to report a fire or police

emergency.

Wireless Connection is holding a sale

on its hands-free devices in conjunction with the ordinance.

Adam Ehli with the store said the

devices have been popular.

“We keep having to re-order,” he

said.

The store offers about 10 different

types of hands-free devices. One is a wired head set that plugs

directly into a cell phone and uses headphones. A second uses

Bluetooth, which allows a cell phone to be linked to a wireless

headset. The third option is a vizor-mounted Bluetooth that has a

speaker or will work through the car’s speakers.

Whitefish joins Missoula, Billings and

Butte as Montana cities that have passed some sort of cell phone

ordinance. Billings prohibits the use of any electronic device

while driving while Missoula’s ordinance speaks only to text

messages.

Dial said the ordinance is about

safety. He’s personally witnessed a driver nearly hit an elderly

women crossing the street because the driver was talking on a cell

phone.

“Are there crashes that have been

related to talking on a cell phone? Probably,” he said.

Drivers cited for violating the

ordinance face a fine of not more than $100 for the first offense

and not more than $300 for each repeat violation.