At the Feb. 4 Town Council meeting, Flower Mound leaders will consider a town ordinance to ban hand-held cell phone use and text messaging in school zones.
The issue is being proposed by Council member Al Filidoro, Jr., who has worked in the telecommunications industry.
“The whole purpose of this at this point is safety and awareness, not enforcement and revenue generation,” Filidoro said.
“I’ve been looking at this issue for a while and it’s an issue whose time has come.”
Although the Flower Mound Police Department has not reported any accidents involving cell phone use, school crossing guards have said that drivers traveling through school crossings are likely to be on a phone.
Some North Texas cities, such as Highland Park, have already adopted an ordinance banning cell phone use in school zones. Dallas leaders are also reported to be considering prohibiting cell phone use in school zones.
“I think the reason we’re seeing so much activity from communities around the Metroplex all at once around this issue, is that I believe the issue is at a tipping point,” Filidoro said.
Town leaders are reviewing the proposed legislation examining the use of hand-held mobile telephones in active school zones. The proposed legislation will only apply when school zones are active, during posted times, town officials said. The FMPD has recommended a $75 customary fine, with a $200 maximum for repeated or aggravated violations, town officials said.
Under consideration is permitting crossing guards to write down license numbers of violators to send a written warning. Posting signs in areas which ban cell phones and text messaging is also being considered.
“It’s a wonderful idea and seriously, it’s almost a shame that we have to create a law to instill this type of safety in our driving habits in school zones,” Flower Mound Mayor Jody Smith says of the proposed legislation.
The Lewisville Independent School District is “very much in support” of the proposed legislation, said spokesman Dean Tackett.
“As a former principal, [if] you have a parent driving in an SUV with a cell phone ... that’s always a dangerous situation, especially when elementary school children are involved,” Tackett said. “It’s a safety issue and it’s one more thing we can do to keep our children safe.”
“I’m hoping that after one year of this legislation passing, we have not issued one ticket,” Filidoro said. “I’m confident that we can get as close to that goal as possible.