Cellphone law doing little to curb distracted driving

A law that encourages drivers to pay more attention to the road is having the opposite effect on residents, according to valley police.

Though a law banning handling mobile devices while driving went into effect Jan. 1, motorists are attempting to find ways around it, posing hazards for pedestrians and other motorists, according to Jay Rivera, a spokesman for the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department.

"I don't think people are taking the law seriously," Rivera said. "It used to be that people would have their phones out in the open. Now, people conceal it to where no part of (their) vision is in front."

Keith Paul, spokesman for the Henderson Police Department, said officers issued 351 citations in January to people who were using handheld devices while driving. He said though there is an exemption for officers' use of cellphones while driving, the department is not taking advantage of it and is instead encouraging officers to use hands-free devices.

"Driving a car is now second nature to people," Paul said. "It deserves your full time and attention. We want to get people -- even officers -- away from other things and have them focus on driving."

Chrissie Coon, spokeswoman for the North Las Vegas Police Department, said she has witnessed multiple incidents in which people try to hide offenses.

"Talking on your cellphone while you're driving, trying to hide it from police, is even more dangerous," Coon said. "I see a lot of people look down at their phone when it's on speaker or pulling over on the side of the road. The fact is all of those things people are doing are far more dangerous than just talking on your cellphone while driving."

BIKE LAW YET TO GAIN TRACTION

The cellphone law isn't the only one encouraging people to pay more attention to the road. The 3-foot law, which went into effect in May 2011, requires motorists to provide 3 feet between a cyclist and a vehicle or to move into the other lane if it is safe to do so. Officials said they've seen little change on the roads with motorists and cyclists since the law took effect. Paul said that in Henderson, he has seen more of a need to educate the public rather than to enforce the law.

"We need to educate the motorists, and both need to learn to share the road," Paul said. "Cyclists need to know where they need to be on the roadway."

Coon said that in North Las Vegas, dealing with offenses of the 3-foot law haven't been an issue because few people in the jurisdiction ride bicycles along the roadways. Rivera said he also has seen few problems with the law , citing statistics from years past in which no fatal accidents involving cyclists occurred in 2010, and one took place in 2011. He said, however, that as of February, one fatal accident involving a cyclist has occurred.

"That's not good because it's so early in the year," Rivera said. "We'll have a 100 percent increase in fatal accidents as of last year with one more, and we want to avoid that."

Overall, Rivera said, police are focusing on making people aware of the dangers involved with not only talking or texting on a cellphone while driving but attempting to hide the device in places where their attention is not the road.

"People need to keep in mind that the bigger picture is we want to make the roadway safer," Rivera said. "The law does not prohibit you from communicating. It prohibits you from having your focus be diverted to the device."

Coon offered suggestions for motorists to obey the law and be safer on the roads.

"A large part of the population needs to learn to put the cellphone down," Coon said. "Put it in the back seat, or put it in the cup holder. Some part of the population is now using hands-free devices, making the roadway a safer place."

Contact Paradise/Downtown View reporter Lisa Carter at lcarter@viewnews.com or 383-4686.