Arlington City Council Passes Texting & Driving Ban

ARLINGTON (CBSDFW.COM) - The Arlington City Council passed a law on Tuesday night that will make it illegal to text or tweet while driving. The law is expected to be in place before the Thanksgiving holiday in November.

The law was adopted on a 5-4 vote.

This is one of the strictest distracted driving laws in the state, making it illegal to use a cell phone in the car for almost anything but making a phone call. Anyone who is caught using their phone to text, tweet, email or browse the internet could get a $200 fine.

It is legal to talk on the phone and scroll through a contacts list to find a phone number.

In addition to phones, the ban also includes music players and other handheld electronic devices.

Arlington Police Department spokeswoman Tiara Richard said that police officers would immediately begin educating residents about the new ordinance. The city will also put up signs around Arlington to make drivers aware of the new law before ticketing begins.

Two other Texas cities – Austin and San Antonio – already have texting while driving bans in place.