A new D.C. City Council bill bans motor vehicle drivers from using cell phones on the road unless they use a hands-free device or are making emergency calls.

The ordinance, put into effect on July 1, exempts law enforcement personnel and emergency vehicle operators. Violators are subject to fines of up to $100. The new bill also requires that the Metropolitan Police Department and District of Columbia Department of Motor Vehicles personnel record whether vehicle accidents may have been caused by cellular telephone use.

While prominent phone manufacturers including AT&T, Cingular and Nextel have previously protested the bill’s passage, many Georgetown students say a roadway cell phone ban is a smart thing to have.

“I don’t drive in D.C. but I do at home and I think [the ban] is a good idea,” Harrison Moore ( COL ’06) said. “When people are on the phone they are not paying as much attention to the road and that is dangerous for everyone.”

Some states including New York and New Jersey already have similar laws in effect. Others have partial bans or no laws regarding cellular telephone usage. Bills have previously been debated in Congress to impose a nationwide ban.