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Police present distracted-driving and loud-vehicle ordinance proposals to Libby council
Summary
Libby police presented monthly call statistics and proposed two local ordinances—one to address distracted driving and one to curb loud music from vehicles—and asked the council to refer draft language to committee for further review.
A Libby police representative presented monthly patrol statistics and asked the council to consider local ordinances addressing distracted driving and excessive vehicle noise.
"Distracted driving is obviously a massive issue throughout the country," the police representative (Speaker 5) said, noting the department tallied 182 calls for service this month compared with 121 last year. The speaker proposed an ordinance to prohibit talking on a phone while driving and other behaviors that divert attention, and a separate local rule to give officers more tools to address very loud music from vehicles.
Councilors asked clarifying questions about enforcement and the model language the department used. The presenter said the draft language was based on ordinances in other municipalities, noting Whitefish and Missoula as examples used to shape the proposal. The mayor asked to have the drafts placed into committee for review; council concurred and the mayor directed staff to put the proposed distracted-driving and loud-vehicle ordinances into the ordinance committee.
The police representative emphasized community members are calling in more reports of suspicious behavior and that better local tools could help prevent crashes and neighborhood disturbance. The council did not take final action on the ordinances at the meeting; instead, members referred the drafts to committee for more detailed review and possible future action.
