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BRIEF: Southlake considers restricting hand-held cellphone use in school zonesJan 06, 2009 (Fort Worth Star-Telegram - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- The Southlake City Council today will consider banning the use of hand-held cellphones while driving in school zones. The ban would only apply when school zones' lower speed limits are in effect. Violators would be fined. The proposal has the backing of a local community group, Students and Parents Against Risks to our Kids, and the Carroll school district, city spokeswoman Pilar Schank said. If the proposal is given tentative approval, the council would likely hold a public hearing on the ban Jan. 20 and immediately follow it with a final vote, Schank said. In recent years, several area cities have adopted such a ban, including Dallas, Highland Park and Flower Mound. Several states have banned all hand-held phone use while driving. In Texas, calls for a statewide ban have failed to gain support, with critics often pointing to research that indicates that hands-free devices aren't any less distracting than phones held to the ear. AMAN BATHEJA, 817-685-3932 To see more of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.dfw.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Texas Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. |