Gary has a ban, and South Bend, too. Now, Valparaiso may have one:
VALPARAISO, Ind. -- Leaders of a northwestern Indiana city say they'll likely take steps toward a possible ban on talking on cell phones while driving after a recent study showed more than two-thirds of respondents supported it.A quality of life survey for the city of Valparaiso found that 67 percent of respondents favor such a ban. It gained the most support of any proposed ordinance included in the study.
I've generally argued for more local control and less at the state and federal levels. So, am I wrong to think that this might be a case where there should either be no bans at all or else a statewide one?
Driving rules based on local conditions are usually clearly marked so that drivers know what to do -- speed limits, stop signs, no-parking areas and so on. And the word gets out so that all (or the great majority) of drivers know about the statewide laws, such as seat-belt requirements and open-container laws. Unless the jurisdictions are going to put a bunch of signs on all their roads (which could get expensive) drivers negotiating these local bans will be in the position of not knowing when they've crossed some magic line that makes what they're doing suddenly illegal instead of permitted.
