School zone laws

If you’re driving through one of Odessa’s school zones, you might want to hang up the cell phone or put on a headset.
   City officials have started putting up warning signs on school zones warning people that they could face fines up to $200 for using their cell phones while the zones are in effect. Municipal Court director Karen Vogel said in an e-mail that a standard ticket cost a chatty Patty about $120.
   City traffic engineer Hal Feldman said the city initially planned to finish the installations by Friday, but the work was delayed. Still, all of them will be up within a couple of weeks, he said.
   Ector County Independent School District Police Chief Brian Moersch said his officers would wait until the last sign was installed before they started enforcing the law. A few signs were still not up Friday.
   Odessa police Cpl. Sherrie Carruth said the city’s officers won’t sit at each school zone and look specifically for drivers using their phones while driving through, but they will treat it like any other moving violation such as running a red light or speeding.
   “If an officer drives through there … and he sees that violation, then he can enforce that ticket,” Carruth said.
   The statewide cell phone law was enacted on Sept. 1, but it required cities to place the warning signs up before it could be enforced. It allows drivers to use their phones to call 9-1-1, and it allows people to use a hands-free headset with their phones.
   Parents around Odessa had differing opinions on the new enforcement.
   Tammy Ducker thought it was about time that the new law was enforced as she waited for her nephew at Zavala Elementary School one afternoon last week.
   “Most people don’t pay attention,” she said.
   Amy Dennis didn’t share Ducker’s welcoming opinion on the signs. The mother of a Reagan Elementary third-grader said she thought it was dangerous for people to text and drive inside or out of the school zones, but she didn’t think the law was warranted. She said she also uses her phone while driving, though not in the school zones any longer.
   “If they’re just going to make illegal in schools, they should be illegal across the board,” Dennis said.
   Adrana Valenzuela, who doesn’t own a cell phone, said she thought the law wouldn’t make much of a difference if people were still allowed to use the Bluetooth headsets that she sees a lot of drivers using. Even though she thought it was a good idea to stop people from texting and driving around the schools, she didn’t think the law could be enforced all that easily.
   “I guess it could be a good thing, but you can’t see them,” Valenzuela said.

 
   The following cities in the Permian Basin are either currently enforcing the cell phone law or soon will be:
   >> Andrews.
   >> Big Spring.
   >> Marfa.
   >> McCamey.
   >> Midland.
   >> Odessa.
   >> Pecos.
   >> Presidio.
   >> Wink.

   The following cities are not currently enforcing the cell phone law:
   >> Crane.
   >> Monahans.
   >> Kermit.