[MissoulaGov] cell phones

[Seth McClain]

If there were a ban on the use of cellphones and/or other electronic 
communication devices while driving within city limits, there should probably 
be obvious exemptions.

I believe there is a taxi company in town that uses cellphones for dispatch, 
so that would have to change from cellphone or be exempt to allow the 
business to operate.

One simple method to easily discriminate would be to ban the use of electronic 
verbal communication while driving, without a commercial driver's license.  
This would allow all the people that we want to be able to communicate 
(police, ambulance, cab drivers, bus drivers, etc) to communicate while still 
preventing the majority from doing so.  It also gives citizens an existing 
method to work around the ban if it is urgent that they do so.

Perhaps if an accident involving a commercially licensed individual and a 
cellphone occurs, the commercial license could be revoked?

Seth McClain


PS: I'm personally in favor of allowing people to talk on phones while 
driving, or juggle dynamite for that matter, as long as it doesn't cause a 
problem.  That isn't how our system works and I don't see that changing.