Hand-Held Cellphones in Cars May Be Banned

Los Angeles City Council members Wednesday proposed banning a behavior that much of the world views as a quintessential L.A. activity: zooming down city streets with a cellphone clamped to one ear.

Officials offered few specifics on the idea, except to say that hands-free cellphones would still be permitted.

Yet to be decided are what penalty scofflaws would face, and how such a rule would be enforced. And given that Los Angeles borders, and in some cases surrounds, lots of other cities without such a ban, officials would also have to figure out how to notify drivers to put down their phones when they enter the city limits.

The state of New York enacted such a law in 2002. But a similar proposal for California -- pushed by Assemblyman Joe Simitian (D-Palo Alto) -- has been stalled in Sacramento for the last three years.

During a discussion of the state law, which council members endorsed Wednesday, Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski said Los Angeles should have its own law in the event that the state does not approve one.

“We can take a stand ourselves.... This is important enough,” Miscikowski said, adding that congestion problems and safety could both be improved if drivers paid more attention to the road.

If the state does pass a law, it would supersede any local laws. But if council members approve it, Los Angeles would be the first big city in California to restrict driving while on the phone, officials said. The city of Santa Monica scrapped a similar idea in 2000.

Several other council members voiced cautious support for the idea, including some who admitted to occasionally gripping the steering wheel with their knees while multi-tasking in their cars.

Too many drivers, Councilman Dennis Zine said, are “on another planet,” zipping across town with their attention a million miles away from the road.

In a separate proposal, council members also suggested that city employees be prohibited from using city-issued cellphones while driving.

Councilman Tom LaBonge, who pushed the council to endorse the state bill, pointed to a CHP study that found cellphones contributed to 11% of accidents blamed on distracted drivers in a six-month period.

The two local proposals now move to the council’s transportation committee, where officials will work out the details before returning proposed ordinances to the council floor for a vote.

Residents offered a mixed reaction to the idea Wednesday.

Nancy Silverton, an author and owner of the restaurant Campanile, described herself as “the worse abuser of cellphones” but said merely banning hand-held phones would do little to promote safety.

“I have had so many near accidents looking down trying to dial the phone, but I don’t think headphones would help because the cellphone in general is distracting,” Silverton said. “I think it would be just as distracting talking into the air as talking while holding onto a phone.”

Others, however, said they would welcome the ban.

“When I talk on the phone in the car, my driving is not at its optimum level and neither is my phone conversation,” said Caryl Kim, who owns a clothing store near Third Street and La Cienega Boulevard. “But occasionally I’m a responsible citizen and I use the headset. When I do, I’m a better driver and my phone conversation improves too. So I’m completely for the mandatory headsets.”

Councilman Bernard C. Parks, the former police chief, said that the idea is worth studying but that the city should “proceed cautiously in developing legislation that dictates personal conduct in vehicles.”

He noted Wednesday that drivers engage in any number of inappropriate activities -- from applying mascara to reading the newspaper -- and that there are already laws on the books to deal with moving violations stemming from such behavior.