We not only can’t hold a mobile phone to our ear in Albuquerque anymore, it’s also unlawful for any person to:
(A) Drive while having in his lap any person, adult or minor, or any animal, nor shall the driver of a vehicle be seated in the lap of any other person.
(B) Drive a vehicle while having either arm around another person.
BTW, the way I read the ordinance, you could drive using a regular phone held to your ear. It’s only a “mobile telephone” that is prohibited. It’d take a long cord, though.
(E) Except as otherwise provided below, no person shall operate a motor vehicle upon a public highway while using a mobile telephone to engage in a call or create, send or read text messages while such vehicle is in motion.
The exceptions permit “the use of a hands-free mobile telephone when being used in a hands free manner.”
$100 first offense; $200 for subsequent offenses.
Damned – I wish I would remember where I saw the photo of a normal handset (think rotary phone) that had a mobile phone inside it. The spiral cord was actually hooked up to the cigarette light to provde power … searching – as soon as I find it I’ll send you a link …
I was thinking if one wanted to test the law you could drive around holding a mobile phone that did not work up to your ear. You couldn’t be using it “to engage in a call.”
Not the one I was thinking of, but close enough:
http://www.makezine.com/blog/archive/2005/06/portable_rotary.html
Next story on NewMexiKen: “NewMexiKen challenges new law by installing rotary phone in his car” – please, please 😉
And here’s another one: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/present.php?p=Port-O-Rotary
This is funny stuff…did you hear the other day that someone was considering (think this was in DC, or maybe NYC) making it illegal to walk down the street with an IPOD in your ears because you might get run over.
Wow…
By the Way, I added you to a list of “New Mexico Blogs”, (hope you don’t mind)…forming a sort of “Senate” of those who keep up with local politics in their respective locales.
Come see us.