Arizona legislators are once again taking up a bill to create a statewide ban on texting while driving. More than 20 communities in Arizona currently ban the use of mobile devices while driving, including the Town of Oro Valley. Oro Valley police have issued more than 200 citations since the town's ordinance took effect in 2017.
Lorraine Rivera rode with the department's traffic unit to see how officers enforce the rule. Within half an hour, the officer she joined stopped three drivers suspected of violating the ban. He issued one citation and two warnings.
Oro Valley Police Chief Daniel Sharp has been a vocal supporter of a statewide law banning texting while driving. "We know studies have shown that you aren’t safer, that you are endangering other people’s lives," Sharp said. "There are other people on the roadways that would like to be able to get where they’re going without somebody running into them because they’re distracted."