MIAMI -- Florida's Miami-Dade County has voted to ban the use of hand-held cell phones while driving, a county spokeswoman said Wednesday.
The south Florida county of 2.2 million people, which is known for glitzy lifestyles, pricey condominiums and celebrity hangouts on Miami Beach, would require motorists who are caught talking on their cell phones as of October 2002 to pay a fine or take a traffic safety course.
The fine would be $250 for the first offense and $500 for subsequent offenses. Using hands-free devices such as headsets or earphones, or pulling the vehicle over to make a call would still be legal.
The county commission voted 6-5 in favor of the measure late Tuesday. County Mayor Alex Penelas is expected to sign the proposal.
Metro-Dade Police said it was not sure how the new proposal would be enforced. The police legal department is trying to determine whether officers could pull over motorists for cell phone violations, or if they must pull over drivers for another reason and then tack on the cell phone offense.
The wireless industry, which has been lobbying hard against the ordinance, believes that such laws are unnecessary.
``We've always felt that educating our customers about driving safety is the best way to do it,'' Sprint PCS spokeswoman Kristin Wallace said.
Concerned that cell phone use causes accidents by distracting drivers, a number of cities throughout the United States and the entire state of New York have crafted regulations to limit their use while people are driving.
Over a dozen countries worldwide, including Japan, have drafted similar laws.
Distracted drivers cause 25 percent of all accidents in the United States every year, according to a study last year by the Network of Employers for Traffic Safety, which analyzed data from Department of Transportation investigations into traffic accidents. It was not clear how many incidents involved cell phones.
