Brentwood Chief of Police Dan Fitzgerald would like the board of alderman to pass an ordinance banning texting while driving for all drivers. It’s currently it is against the law to text while driving for anyone under the age of 21 in Missouri.He posted on his blog, The Chief’s Desk, that the Brentwood Police Department will ask the board on Monday to adopt an ordinance that would ban texting while driving for all drivers.
The agenda for the March 16 board of aldermen meeting has been posted, and a no-texting-while-driving ordinance is on it.
“How many times have you been driving down any street, and saw the car in front of you swerving into the other lane or driving 10 MPH under the speed limit? Years ago, we assumed the driver was drunk. Now we know the driver is often on the phone, or worse, texting. I don’t know about you, but this scares me,” Fitzgerald posted.
“The intent of this ordinance is not punitive. We feel it is important to call attention to this issue and to make people aware of the dangers of texting while driving. The responsibility for safe driving on the streets in Brentwood is ours. It is important for communities such as Brentwood to be proactive in adopting this needed safety law.”
I fully support the ban on texting while driving and I commend the Police Department for taking this on in Brentwood.
These good results should be forward to Rep. Ann Wagner for Statewide law enactment. ALSO– I was driving down Eulalie and my side view mirror nicked another side view mirror. I heard it, but my mirror was swiveled in, so I didn’t think there was any damage because of the give. I signed myself with the Cross that it was nothing bad, and went on my way. WELL—it had to be Divine Providence that my mirror hit the very most tin-foil part of the other vehicle side view and their mirror apparently fell off or something. So paying attention and not texting while driving is just the beginning. People on Eulalie should leave their driver’s side mirror swiveled in–it’s too narrow! I leave mine swiveled in all the time now–as I had room, and then NO IDEA there was car damage to the other guy. Eulalie residents put themselves in peril by something so simple as leaving their side-view mirror out on a street where BOTH sides are end to end vans. Anyway, it’s done and I will pay, but that road is as hazardous as texting and driving.