Shawnee drivers who like to scroll TikTok or catch a Netflix episode while driving could soon find themselves breaking the law. City leaders are considering an amendment to municipal code that would explicitly ban watching videos, livestreams and other internet content behind the wheel, with the Shawnee City Council set to take up the proposal on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. at Shawnee City Hall.
The change would close a gap that has frustrated local prosecutors. As reported by FOX4KC, Shawnee city leaders are proposing the ordinance after running into cases where drivers caught shopping online, watching Netflix or scrolling through TikTok while driving couldn't be properly charged. According to the Johnson County Post, the amendment would explicitly address drivers watching videos and livestreams behind the wheel.
Right now, Shawnee's city code only outlaws sending written communications like texts and emails while driving, the outlet reports. That narrow scope is exactly what's been tripping up enforcement. The Shawnee Municipal Prosecutor's Office requested the change after encountering distracted driving cases where officers could not issue a citation, or where cases were thrown out entirely because the conduct simply wasn't covered by the existing code, per the same account.
Real Cases That Slipped Through the Cracks
The push for stricter rules isn't theoretical. City officials have pointed to specific incidents that illustrate the loophole, including a newspaper delivery driver who was watching Netflix and a dump truck driver who was scrolling TikTok while operating their vehicles, according to the Johnson County Post's reporting on the council discussion. The proposed ordinance would also address online shopping while driving.
The proposed amendment would specifically address watching videos and livestreams while driving.
Committee Discussion
The Shawnee Council Committee discussed the proposed code amendment on Monday, the Johnson County Post reports.
Nearby Manhattan, Kansas, already prohibits drivers from talking on wireless communication devices while driving, though that rule doesn't apply to hands-free use, according to the City of Manhattan. Kansas state law separately addresses text messaging while driving under statute 8-15,111, per the Kansas Legislature.
Why Distraction Keeps Showing Up in Crash Data
Nationally, the stakes behind these local debates are significant. Distraction was a contributing factor in crashes that killed 3,208 people across the country in 2024, accounting for 8% of all crash deaths, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The institute also found that naturalistic studies showed crash risk was two to six times greater when drivers were manipulating a cellphone compared to when they weren't distracted.
A 2024 national observational survey found 4.5% of drivers were seen manipulating hand-held devices while driving, with that rate climbing to 8.7% among drivers estimated to be ages 16 to 24, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety reports.
Shawnee isn't alone in trying to tighten its rules around phone use behind the wheel. In Bluefield, the city's board of directors passed the first reading of an ordinance prohibiting electronic device use while driving, with a second reading scheduled before final passage, according to bdtonline.com. For now, Shawnee's own proposal remains just that — a proposal, headed for a vote at the Oct. 26 council meeting.
