Reminder on WA Cell Phone Law

[nuketea7800]

Starting today, if you are seen talking on a cell phone without the aid of a hands free device, Washington state authorities can and will give you a $124 traffic violation. This also includes texting and emailing while driving. In other words, it is now a primary offense, which means they do not need any other reason to pull you over.

[Please drive safely, and use a hands free device, wired or wireless, if you must talk on the cell phone.

//Karl

[R1Kirby]

I think the Government should make it a law to ban all cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. First offence a $200.00 fine. Second offence $500.00 fine and suppension of the driver license for six months. National statistics show more serious accidents are caused by distracted driving. I know first hand, because I had a cell phone user hit me and caused serious damage.

[livnthedream]

It's amazing to me that we need to have laws to protect us from ourselves. We don't need terrorists to destroy us we will do that by ourselves

[TandW]

SIL was just recently rear-ended by texter!!!!!!

[TXiceman]

Originally Posted by livnthedream

It's amazing to me that we need to have laws to protect us from ourselves. We don't need terrorists to destroy us we will do that by ourselves

The laws are for those that are not smart enough to what is right. Lots of folks know what should be done and are put out buy the laws.

Ken

[ParTheCourse]

Similar laws have been in effect in NY for some time. Let the co-pilot do the communicating while you pay attention to those who make these laws necessary.

[AlaskanRV]

Outlawing the use of a phone while driving is a "feel good, look good" law. What about eating, drinking a cup of hot coffee, tuning the radio, scolding the kids? Are they all going to be outlawed? I'm not saying it is good to talk on a phone while driving, I just hate to have more laws piled on, especially if there a hundred other distractions as bad or worse.

[mrschwarz]

Test have shown that cell phone use has the same affect as drunk driving. It doesn't matter if you use a hands-free device or not. Having a conversation with a passenger doesn't have the same affect. Not sure what reading a book, applying makeup, shaving, or making a pizza. I have seen them all (OK I made the making a pizza one up).

Perhaps the law ought to be more about distracted driving that about cell phone use. That would cover the biggie, as well as some of the other idiocy out there.

[chasfm11]

Originally Posted by AlaskanRV

Outlawing the use of a phone while driving is a "feel good, look good" law. What about eating, drinking a cup of hot coffee, tuning the radio, scolding the kids? Are they all going to be outlawed? I'm not saying it is good to talk on a phone while driving, I just hate to have more laws piled on, especially if there a hundred other distractions as bad or worse.

I agree with you that there are a lot of possible distractions to drivers. IMHO, none of the equal the potential for an accident that a cell phone, especially one held in the hand brings. My guess is that if you could add all of the other possible distractions together, they would be less as a percentage of the total drivers on the road versus the cell phone talkers. My experience is that 30% of the people driving in my Town are on the phone will doing it. That means 1 cell phone talking driver for every 3 cars.

On a parallel note, I ride my bike for exercise 3 times per week in a park with dedicated bike paths. These are concrete and about the width of a vehicle. Wanna know the most dangerous thing for me during my rides? Yep, people talking on cell phones. I've been riding 5 years and have logged 3,000 miles. The only time I've ever come off the bike was when a lady walking a dog and talking on a cell phone spread herself and her dog completely across the path, leaving me no place to go. I get run off the path at least 3 times every week by cell phone talkers. I figure if they cannot walk and talk on a cell phone, there is no way that they should be driving and doing it. There is no way that anyone can safely text and drive. I'd love to see the penalty for that to be more severe than $135. Our Town issues citations for $250 for talking on a cell phone in a school zone. I think texting should cost more than that.

[Gary - K7GLD]

I have yet to experience or witness any accidents or near-accidents caused by drivers talking to a passenger, listening to the car stereo, or eating/drinking while driving - but I dern certain HAVE seen and experienced accidents and near-accidents from irresponsible use of cell phones - not to mention the rudeness and thoughtlessness of folks who loudly use them in places and circumstances that common sense and decency SHOULD limit their use!

Yeah - seems a shame that government is needed to step in to teach our society what so many parents FAILED to teach it...

[Bob86ZZ4]

I'm a cop in MN. We have a great law here:

169.14 SPEED LIMITS, ZONES; RADAR.

Subdivision 1.Duty to drive with due care.

No person shall drive a vehicle on a highway at a speed greater than is reasonable and prudent under the conditions. Every driver is responsible for becoming and remaining aware of the actual and potential hazards then existing on the highway and must use due care in operating a vehicle. In every event speed shall be so restricted as may be necessary to avoid colliding with any person, vehicle or other conveyance on or entering the highway in compliance with legal requirements and the duty of all persons to use due care.



The second sentence here is key. "...due care...." Forget about the speed part for a minute. That second sentence covers everything. We don't need laws for a particular action. Sure, some people can't drive and talk on the phone at the same time. But some can. Distracted driving is distracted driving. I like our law. When I go to an accident scene and figure out that one of the drivers caused it by not paying attention for whatever reason, that's a tag for 169.14. I don't have to make sure they were on the phone. Works great.

I don't get how these talking on the phone laws work anyway. Does the language prohibit holding something that looks like a phone up to my ear and looking like I'm talking/listening to it? In other words. Say I've got a old cell phone that no longer has service. I drive down the road holding it to my ear and moving my lips. Can a cop tag me for that? That doesn't make sense to me. I just don't see how cops can pull people over without any proof of wrongdoing. I don't see how a cop can go into court and say the driver was talking on the phone without some sort of proof that I was, like a phone printout showing the call. And I'm pretty sure the cops can't take your phone from you and start looking through the call log to see that you were just talking on it.

[Wayne M]

So, as we are touring around WA state it appears that people are obeying the new law. However, another type of concern arises. They pull over to the side of the road to talk on the phone. Now they may not be the one that hits something, but how about something hitting them. It just doesn't end.

And, hands free is just as dangerous as holding it to your ear. Example: I had a '93 Lincoln Mark VIII. (Wonderful car) It had a built in cell phone. Speakers were though the car stereo system. All that the driver had to do was push a button on the windshield drivers column to engage. Verbal commands to call. Here is what I observed for myself when I used it.

10-15, or what ever time limit later when I said good by and hung up it would come to my mind that I was driving strictly by instinct. I often would think, "How did I get here?" I would not remember any traffic for that period of time. It was like tunnel vision. Those times when I was not on cruise control I would have slowed down 10-15 mph under the speed limit, another concern. So it doesn't matter hand free or no hands free, they are both dangerous. When my phone rings and I'm in the MH or the TOAD, and the wife is with me I just hand her the phone. If she is not with me I determine real quick the importance of the call and will either pull over or tell the person I'll call them right back as soon as I find a safe place to stop.

[David S]

You are exempt from the new cell phone law in Washington if you call 911 or wear hearing aids. Go figure.
David S in Conconully. 2006 Suncruiser 38J

[tmh462]

My wife was rear-ended twice in less than 24 hours by two different people yapping on their cell phones. She was going to get medicine for the first accident when she was hit the second time.