Oologah considering banning cell phone usage while behind the wheel

Thursday, January 9th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

They make our lives more convenient. But do they also "endanger" our lives? Many states restrict the use of cell phones while driving. New York has an outright ban on phones behind the wheel.

Now Oologah of all places has proposed a cell phone ban. As the News on Six reporter Steve Berg explains, it has people "talking"!

Will Rogers once said he never met a man he didn't like. But Oologah's favorite son probably wouldn't like it if someone pulled in front of his horse while they were talking on a cell phone. "I don't think so." Oologah Mayor Jerry Holland proposed the ban on Monday after a couple of close calls. "I ride a motorcycle, and I've had several situations where people with cell phones have gotten in front of me and almost had a very serious accident."

He says many on the town board have had problems too. So they're talking about a ban on cell phones while driving in Rogersâ€™ hometown. And the mayor says he hasn't gotten any angry phone calls. "Nothing negative, everything I've had is positive so far. It's early in the day yet."

"Well I'm not gonna like it, and I think there's a lot of people coming through town that won't like it." Carol Robison says she uses her phone a lot for business. But she says she'll adapt. "Well I think it's probably safer if you have both hands on the wheel."

Traffic isn't too bad here in Oologah. In fact, it wasn't that long ago that the town got its first stoplight, but the Mayor says things are getting busier all the time. "Especially when the highway gets open between here and Kansas, there'll be a tremendous amount of traffic through here. We'll post signs at both ends of the town. There's only one way in and one way out, so we just need two signs.â€

Hands-free phones are allowed. And emergency use is ok. Otherwise, if you're in Oologah, you'll have to stop and use a landline.

The town board plans to put the ban into effect on February 3rd. They haven't talked about the possible penalties yet.