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Neighborhood volunteer urges Austin to reinvigorate distracted-driving enforcement
Summary
Scott Johnson, a long-time Neighborhood Watch coordinator, urged the committee to form a working group to raise awareness of Austin's distracted-driving ordinance, strengthen enforcement, and promote diversion and education programs; he traced the ordinance history and cited earlier citation peaks.
Scott Johnson addressed the Public Safety Committee during public communication on Dec. 1 to urge renewed attention to distracted driving enforcement in Austin.
Johnson summarized local efforts dating to a 2006 bicycle-safety task force, recalled a 2009 ordinance against texting while driving and a later distracted-driving ordinance approved in 2014 with an effective date in early 2015, and argued that an "affirmative defense" (for example, claiming the driver was "calling someone") has weakened enforcement. He said a diversion program was developed with Chief Prosecutor Bianca Benson in 2019 and that the city’s ordinance has been used as a model by other municipalities.
"We need a working group to reinvigorate this process," Johnson said, urging committee members to consider creative enforcement options beyond adding patrols and to raise public awareness so new residents know the law. He pointed to data in his materials showing a citation peak in 2017 and later declines and offered to share the documents with council.
Council members thanked Johnson and asked him to provide his data to staff. The committee did not take immediate action on his request; Johnson recommended convening a working group and exploring diversion and education as alternatives to purely punitive measures.
