Tempe is the first East Valley city to ban drivers from handheld phone use — whether texting or talking.

The Tempe City Council unanimously approved the ban Thursday, with an emergency clause that puts it in effect immediately. "The facts are that texting causes accidents and even death. Anything we can do as public servants to prevent deaths I will support," Councilwoman Jennifer Adams said.

Tempe first passed a distracted driving ordinance in 2015 that prohibited talking on the phone or texting, but only if police could prove the drivers posed a risk to themselves or others, and as a secondary offense.

The latest change makes manually operating a cellphone a primary offense. That means officers can stop drivers they see holding a mobile device.

Exceptions are carved into the law to allow drivers to use their cellphone while:

using a hands-free device.

stopped at a light.

parked on the side of the road.

Emergency responders and drivers reporting to a medical emergency, safety hazard, or criminal activity also would be exempt.

The new law takes effect immediately, but Mayor Mark Mitchell requested a 30-day grace period for education with warnings issued instead of citations.

Fines for the first offense would be $100. A second violation would jump to $250, and subsequent violations within a 24-month period would be $500.

Push for safer roads

Tempe staff introduced the proposal as part of a national initiative to reduce the number of fatal and serious car crashes.

Nationally, nearly 10 percent of about 35,000 people who died in vehicle crashes in 2015 died at the hands of a distracted driver, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Locally, Salt River tribal police Officer Clayton Townsend was hit and killed in January by a driver who was looking at his phone, according to police.

Councilman Randy Keating also mentioned the recent death of a bicyclist hit by a distracted driver.

"This is very needed and appropriate," he said.

What are the rules on phone use while driving in Arizona?

On the other side of metro Phoenix, three northwest Valley cities have implemented similar bans in the past six months.

A bill moving through the Arizona Legislature could take such a ban statewide. Other less strict bills also are under consideration.

Arizona prohibits texting and driving for new teen drivers, but there’s no statewide prohibition on overall hand-held cellphone use.

The state Legislature has considered but failed to enact stricter measures for more than a decade.

Without a state law, a patchwork of local laws regulates phone use behind the wheel.

Here are other local ordinances across metro Phoenix:

El Mirage – prohibits handheld-cellphone use while driving.

Fountain Hills – prohibits texting while driving.

Glendale – prohibits handheld-cellphone use while driving.

Phoenix – prohibits texting while driving

Surprise – prohibits handheld-cellphone use while driving

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community – prohibits texting while driving.

Outside of the Valley, Arizona cities that prohibit handheld-cellphone use while driving include: Bisbee, Clifton, Chino Valley, Flagstaff (texting ban only), Kingman, Oro Valley, Prescott, San Luis, Sedona, Tucson, and Yuma.

Coconino, Pima, and Yavapai counties also prohibit handheld cellphone use while driving.

Republic reporter Jen Fifield contributed to this article.

Should Tempe ban handheld cellphone use while driving? Reach the reporter at paulina.pineda@azcentral.com or 602-444-8130. Follow her on Twitter: @paulinapineda22.

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