Aberdeen is getting on the stick and joining Vermillion, Mitchell, Huron, Watertown, Brookings, and Sioux Falls in banning texting while driving. Rapid City, however, is not.
City Attorney Joel Landeen said he has not seen much interest in a texting ban for drivers in Rapid City.
"I don’t have the public calling me about it, but I've had members of TV and print media," Landeen said.
He said, however, there is nothing stopping Rapid City officials from banning texting or cell phone use while driving. The initiative could come from council members or even members of the public [Jennifer Naylor Gesick, "Rapid City in No Hurry to Ban Texting While Driving," Rapid City Journal, 2013.07.14].
I didn't know that citizens interested in passing new ordinances were supposed to lobby the city attorney, but o.k.: Rapid Citians, if you're tired of waiting for or dodging drivers who are looking intently at their laps instead of the traffic light, here's the contact info for the City Attorney's office.
Rapid City councilwoman Charity Doyle and police chief Steve Allender appear to recognize the good sense of banning texting while driving; they just don't think the public is ready for it yet. But the U.S. military is more than ready: Naylor Gesick says Ellsworth Air Force Base and all Department of Defense installations have banned all handheld electronic device use while driving since 2006.
1. Text messaging while operating a government motor vehicle, operating a PMV on official government business or utilizing a government owned electronic device are prohibited on and off a DOD installation.
2. Using cell phones, any listening device or other hand-held electronic devices, that take attention away from driving is prohibited. Drivers may use a single ear bud or voice-activated hands-free device, where allowed by law. However, use of hands-free devices is also discouraged as they create significant distractions from safe driving performance ["Motor Vehicles," Columbus AFB, downloaded 2012.07.15].
Boy, you'd think that local and state government officials who never miss the chance to salute the military would salute the military's intelligent motor vehicle safety policies.
I guess we would have appreciated such a ban on texting, etc in Rapid City when some dingaling was texting or yakking on her phone in her humongous Suburban with her as a single passenger as she drifted three feet into our lane from hers and forced us partially into a turning lane.