What you need to know
It’s official! The new law to ban the use of a hand-held device while driving went into effect May 1st. The Mayor and Tucson City Council voted in March to make violation of the ban a secondary offense, meaning you must be pulled over for another reason before police can cite you. Texting while driving already was banned in the city, but the new rules expand that ban to phone calls and the use of other hand-held mobile communication and electronic devices. The new violation is classified as a civil traffic matter, starting with a $100 fine for a first non-accident offense, $250 for the second offense, and subsequent offenses are $500. For violations involving a traffic accident, there will be a penalty of $500. Mayor and Council agreed to review the ordinance in six months to see how it’s working and whether it needs to be strengthened. If you don’t have bluetooth available in your car, you can search the internet for adapters and other ways to make it possible to be hands free while in your vehicle.