PHOENIX — The warning period is over, and now distracted drivers will be ticketed if caught using their mobile device while driving in Tempe.
Tempe police say the message they want to get across to drivers is that "it can wait," meaning that message you think you need to reply to can wait until you safely pull over or reach your destination.
Tuesday marked the first day officers in Tempe could start writing citations for distracted driving.
What is Tempe's distracted driving ordinance?
The City of Tempe already had a distracted driving ordinance passed in 2015. The Tempe Police Department could cite drivers for "posing a risk to others because of the use of a handheld mobile device." BUT (and that's capitalized for a reason) officers had to first observe a driver driving erratically to do so.
The city decided to change that from a secondary to a primary offense. Those changes were approved at the end of February by the city council and went into effect immediately at the beginning of March, but drivers were given a 30-day "education period."
The changes will allow officers to ticket drivers for "holding, typing on or operating a mobile device" while they drive around Tempe. Cell phones or any other device has to be used in hands-free or voice-operated modes.
Drivers are, however, able to use mobile devices if they are parked on the side of the road or stopped at either railroad crossings or at a red light. Those are exceptions to the ordinance, according to the city.
How much are the citations?
The penalty fines will increase for each offense.
First offense: $100 + fees
Second offense: $250 + fees
Third offense: $500 + fees
"Repeated incidents within a 24-month period will incur a $500 fine plus penalty," the city says.
Why is this important for Tempe?
Both Tempe Mayor Mark Mitchell and police spokesman Sgt. Ron Elcock says the ordinance is about protecting Tempe's residents and keeping the roads safe.
"We want to make sure our citizens know how important it is to be safe on our roads in Tempe," Mitchell said Tuesday.
Elcock didn't go as far to say an ordinance like this was long overdue but did say it was "definitely time for it to happen now."
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"We've had enough accidents that were fatal in this city and in this state that we take this very seriously and it's time to get the message across that those messages, they can wait," he said.