It’s Officially Illegal To Text And Drive In Boise
Probably about time... Just yesterday I was on the freeway coming out of downtown and this car starts leaning into my lane. I beeped at her and she corrected, and then immediately started drifting again cause it was super important to get back to whatever she was doing on her phone.
But here's the ugly truth... We've pretty much all done it, right? I literally once got in an accident from texting someone. I was at a light, it had just turned green, I assumed that I was good to go and rear ended someone. There wasn't much damage but it woke me up a bit.
For some reason, however, we're so attached to our phones that we feel like we can't miss a beat. That thing buzzes and I NEED to know who's texting, if there's an important email, if there's a Coronavirus update... All of it!
According to KTVB, "The Boise City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to approve a hands-free ordinance, making it the second Treasure Valley city to enact a ban on hand-held cell phone use while driving. Meridian approved a hands-free ordinance in October."
So now in both Meridian and Boise, you can be ticketed for using your phone while driving; tickets are $90 plus court fees. So the law takes effect immediately, technically, but you won't be ticketed for it until July 1st.
Oh, and fyi... It's not just if you're actively driving. If a police officer catches you on your phone at a red light, they can ticket you for that as well. But hopefully this will help make for safer driving in the Treasure Valley. Here's to a safe 2020! We'll chat when we get there.