TWIN FALLS, Idaho -- Texting while driving in Twin Falls is now illegal. The city council voted Monday night to ban drivers from typing messages while behind the wheel and issue a $50 citation for those caught violating the law.
Councilman Greg Lanting spearheaded the efforts to enact the ban last fall, but it was put on hold while the state Legislature considered texting laws of its own during the past session.
But no such bill made it through the statehouse.
Monday, the Twin Falls City Council voted four to two to pass its version.
Lanting says it's the first law of its kind in Idaho.
"If officers see people they believe are texting they are going to be stopped and it will originally be an education thing trying to get people to realize it is against the law in the city of Twin Falls," said Lanting.
The new law, which could go into effect as early as October, will not prohibit drivers from talking on their phones or even typing in numbers, which could make enforcement tricky.
"Officers have to make judgment calls and courts have to make decisions based on judgment calls all the time so that's the approach we're taking," said Lanting.
Police officers and other emergency responders are exempt from the ban.
