New law goes into effect July 1<\/b><\/p>\n
Washington drivers will have an excuse to go shopping for new cell-phone accessories starting July 1, when a new state traffic law makes driving with a phone to the ear illegal.<\/p>\n
Kent Police Traffic Sgt. Rafael Padilla said he\u2019ll be among the crowd to head to the cell-phone store.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have an old Bluetooth, but it doesn\u2019t work that well,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m going to have to buy a new one for this.\u201d<\/p>\n
The officer said the hands-free cell-phone law bans motorists from driving while holding a wireless device, such as a cell phone, up to the ear. The law follows another recently passed law prohibiting sending, receiving and reading text messages on a cell phone while driving, which went into effect in January.<\/p>\n
Unlike the text-messaging ban, drivers still are allowed to talk on cell phones while driving provided they use a hands-free device, such as a Bluetooth earpiece, wired headset or speaker phone.<\/p>\n
Violators will face a $124 fine, Padilla said, but the law is currently classified as a secondary enforcement law. A citation will only be issued if a driver is first pulled over for another traffic violation.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike if you\u2019re talking on the phone and accidentally drift into another lane,\u201d the officer explained. \u201cThen we would pull you over, and you\u2019d get a unsafe lane-change violation, which is $124, as well as the cell-phone violation, which is another $124.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said he can also see the citation being given to drivers involved in rear-end collisions and other fender benders, found to have been talking on their cell phones before the accident.<\/p>\n
The law is important to have in place, Padilla said. He\u2019s seen several accidents in which talking on a cell phone played a detrimental role.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn terms of serious collisions, there are usually several factors that contribute,\u201d Padilla said. \u201cI have seen cell phones be one of those factors, but there are usually a number of other factors in the really serious accidents that result in fatalities. But if we can take one of those factors out, like cell phones, maybe that accident wouldn\u2019t occur.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kent Police officers have been issuing citations to cell-phone-using drivers for years, though, he said. At City of Kent ordinance prohibiting inattentive driving is already in place, and distracted driving due to cell-phone use can fall under that.<\/p>\n
But he said having the specific text-messaging law in place for the last several months already has made a difference. He hasn\u2019t seen many glowing screens in front of drivers\u2019 faces lately.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople are either not doing it or going about doing it more covertly,\u201d he said. \u201cEither way, it\u2019s having an impact.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says legislators were reasonable in making the new traffic laws secondary offenses, but he thinks the classification might change down the road.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey realized that we\u2019re living in a culture where everybody talks on their cell phone,\u201d Padilla said. \u201cBut I wouldn\u2019t be surprised to see this go the way of the seat belt, where it becomes a primary offense.\u201d<\/p>\n
After July 1, drivers can only use a cell phone without a hands-free device if it is an emergency situation or if they are reporting illegal activity. The hands-free law does not apply to drivers with hearing aids. Infractions will not be placed on driving records and are not reportable to employers or insurance companies.<\/p>\n
For more information about the hands-free law and the text-messaging ban, visit the Washington State Legislature Web site, www.leg.wa.us, and search for Senate bill 5037.<\/p>\n
Contact Daniel Mooney at 253-437-6012 or dmooney@reporternewspapers.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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