Official seeks ban on cell phone use while driving

CAMBRIDGE. Drivers in Cambridge could be facing the same restriction being sought by many states across the country — banning cell phone use while behind the wheel.

Cambridge City Councilor Sam Seidel has asked the city to examine the feasibility of banning drivers from talking on their cell phones without using hands-free devices.

Seidel said he’s been thinking about the idea for several months and that a constituent had also raised concerns to him about feeling endangered when drivers are talking on cell phones. Seidel himself experienced a similar situation recently, when a driver on a cell phone buzzed by him as he was stepping into a crosswalk near Central Square. 

“It just makes common sense to me,” Seidel said. “It’s just a distraction. A car is 2,000 pounds of steel and is very dangerous unless handled properly.”

Seidel said the city is now in the process of exploring whether the city can implement such a law, as well as how enforceable the mandate would be.

Chicago banned drivers from using cell phones in 2005, but a lawsuit was been filed against the city in December claiming the law wasn’t properly posted for drivers to see.