Ahumada to reintroduce cell phone ban

Mayor Pat M. Ahumada will again propose a ban on driving while talking on a cell phone after City Commissioners hung up on his first attempt earlier this month, he said Wednesday.

The mayor said he will gather information from local agencies and insurance companies and then re-introduce the proposed ordinance to commissioners next month.

Ahumada will also seek information from California, which passed a statewide measure banning motorists from holding a cell phone while driving. That law went into effect this month in the Golden State.

Texas agencies do not keep records about which cities - if any - have banned motorists from using cell phones. However, Lisa Block, public information officer for the Texas Department of Public Safety, said she does not believe any bans have passed in the state.

Some communities have passed limited bans. Near Dallas, Rowlett and Highland Park prohibit drivers from using handheld communication devices in school zones.

Ahumada said the proposed ordinance would protect life and property because "a lot of accidents happen when drivers are distracted."

"I was distracted by a cell phone," he said, explaining how he crashed into a curb in 2002 after he reached for his cell phone on the floor of his car and accidentally jerked the steering wheel.

"Focus on driving," he said. "And hopefully, we can prevent injury or death of a loved one or ourselves."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 25 percent of all reported crashes in the United States can be attributed to driver distractions from all sources - including cell phones.

But banning cell phone use while driving can be "a high side, expensive way to gain health benefits," said Joshua Cohen, a research associate professor at Tufts Medical Center in Boston.

In a 2003 report from the Harvard Center for Risk Analysis, Cohen and other researchers analyzed the effects of a ban by comparing the number of reduced fatalities to the imposed economic cost. Results showed there is a major economic loss in the form of convenience, Cohen said.

"Reducing the speed limit is a cheaper way to get the same health benefits," he said. "We don't want to give up the convenience of driving faster, why do we want to give up the convenience of using cell phones when the health benefits are less?"

Some drivers in the city wouldn't oppose the ban on cell phones and said they would switch to hands-free devices.

"I am a more careful driver when I am not using my cell phone," said David Mitchell, a technology teacher in Brownsville. "I don't think I'd be as careless (using a hands-free device) because I would still have both hands free."

However, Cohen said other research has indicated that hands-free communication devices do not reduce the risk of traffic accidents because drivers are still distracted.

"What people need to do is pull over and continue their conversation," said Dora Maribel Perez, a security guard with the Brownsville Independent School District. "When they are finished, they should then continue on their way."

lulloa@brownsvilleherald.com