http://www.post-trib.com/news/584973,gcouncil.article
Driving while on cell calls banned
October 3, 2007
By Jon Seidel Post-Tribune staff writer
GARY -- A law prohibiting drivers from using their cell phones while behind the wheel on city streets was approved Tuesday night by the Gary City Council.
Originally introduced three months ago, it is the first such law in Northwest Indiana, and it is scheduled to go into effect Jan. 1, 2008.
It was passed by a vote of 5-3, with council members Shirley Stanford, D-2nd District, Mary Brown, D-3rd District, and Ronier Scott, D-6th District, voting against it.
At-large council member Chuck Hughes was absent from the meeting.
Before it was passed, the law was amended to reduce fines for violating the law from $50 to $20 for the first violation. The fine for the second violation was also reduced from $100 to $50.
If the law is being broken when a traffic accident occurs, according to the amendment, the additional fine would be a maximum of $200.
Under this new ordinance, drivers will be prohibited from using cell phones unless they are using a "hands-free" device, calling 911 or sitting in a parked car.
The law, based on Chicago's ban on driving and dialing, does not apply to police officers or emergency vehicle drivers.
Although it applies to "any street or highway within the city limits," an Indiana State Police spokesman said in July that troopers do not enforce local ordinances while patrolling interstates that weave through Gary.
Those include Interstates 65, 80/94 and the Indiana Toll Road.
Contact Jon Seidel at 881-3148 or
jseidel@post-trib.com