Questions and concerns? HPCAC hosts public meeting for hands-free updates

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ( WHNT ) — Being a little over three months since the hands-free ordinance has been in effect, the Huntsville Police Citizens Advisory Board along with the Huntsville Police Department hosted a public meeting to discuss all updates, questions and concerns.

HPD reported that roughly 40 warnings and 100 citations have been issued since the ordinance’s enforcement on July 1.

HPD added that from the 8,229 crashes in Huntsville, 319 of those involved distracted driving from June 2023 to June 2024. The police department is hopeful the ordinance will help lower these numbers.

The ordinance outlaws any “wireless telecommunications device” to be in the hands of a driver while driving. Those devices include a cell phone, tablet, GPS and more.

Any offense of the ordinance is a primary reason for a traffic stop, meaning an officer can pull someone over simply for seeing them use such a device. A first conviction is a $50 fine, a second conviction a $100 fine and a third conviction a $150 fine and/or community service.

Exceptions to the ordinance include:

• Emergency workers, licensed physicians or utility workers responding to urgent calls while on the road
• An earpiece, mounted device, steering wheel controls or speakerphone while driving
• Using a device when parked or stopped in traffic, such as a red light
• A GPS if the trip is preprogrammed
• A continuous recording device, such as a dash cam
• If requesting emergency services
• Using an ignition interlock system

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HPD did clarify that the ordinance is in its early stages, meaning they are still focused on educating citizens and cannot measure the impact until it has been in effect for a few years.

It was also clarified today that the hands-free ordinance is dealt with on a case-by-case basis. HPD stated that officers will use discretion when at a traffic stop, taking into account whether the driver has previous citations or warnings and what they were on the phone for. Again, promoting safety and education more than punishment.

HPD Officer Charles Nix acknowledged that many people come to Huntsville who do not live here, saying they will be, most likely, issued warnings before citations for not being familiar with the ordinance.

“Making sure that everybody’s educated,” Nix said. “We do have a lot of people who travel into the city from other cities, other counties, other states, for work or whatever reason. Those are situations where those people, they probably don’t know our ordinances. Because, they don’t have a reason to know them until they’re stopped, and then at that point, they would be educated on it.”

A full list of frequently asked questions on the ordinance can be found on the city of Huntsville’s website .

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