After crews installed “No Texting While Driving” signs at Bellaire’s borders early this month, Bellaire police have been on the lookout for drivers breaking the new law — But no one has received a ticket, yet.
Community Resource Officer Tim Quimby said police wanted to wait until the signs were posted to enforce the new law, and officers hope those notices will be enough to deter drivers from pounding out messages on their cell phones. Quimby said it may be difficult for officers to tell when drivers are texting.
“When it comes to texting, someone can say ‘I was just dialing a phone, I wasn’t texting’,” he said. “We haven’t written a ticket for it yet, but if our officers catch someone doing it they will get a citation.”
Public Works employees on Feb. 1 installed 21 signs at Bellaire’s major entrances like South Rice Avenue, Bissonnet Street and the Loop 610 frontage road.
Texting while driving became illegal in Bellaire on Dec. 8, 2009 when the city council voted unanimously to approve the new law, which is identical to legislation the West University Place City Council approved the same night.
The law makes it illegal for drivers to send electronic messages, including texts, emails and surfing the web — Even when stopped at stop lights or signs. But drivers can still make phone calls, text while parked on the side of the road, communicate with emergency personnel at any time, and they could text if they feared for their lives. Using cell phones for any purpose in a school zone is still illegal, unless the driver is making a phone call using a hands-free device.
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