Lawmakers pushing for crackdown on cell phone driving law
SEATTLE -- It's one of the state's most ignored laws -- the one that bans texting or talking on a cell phone handset while driving.
Many people don't pay attention to the 3-year-old law because you can't get a ticket for doing it unless an officer sees you doing something else.
But two state lawmakers want to change that. They want drivers to pay attention to their driving and the law.
Driving is dangerous enough. Driving while texting or talking on a cell phone is incredibly dangerous. Studies show it's worse than driving drunk.
In Washington state, texting behind the wheel is illegal, as is driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone. But lots of people do it because it doesn't seem dangerous.
"It's a distraction of the mind," said Dave Overstreet of AAA Washington. "It takes your mind away from what is happening in front of you on the roadway."
Between 2006 and 2008, the Washington State patrol linked 3,000 accidents to talking on a cell phone.
Troopers say many people ignore the law because cops in our state can't pull you over for texting or talking unless they see you do something else.
"A lot of drivers are aware of that and a lot of them just don't seem concerned," said Capt. Steve Burns.
State Sen. Tracy Eide, D- Federal Way, says it's time to change that attitude.
"It's a safety issue, period. It's dangerous, period. It's time to hang up and drive," she said.
Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, who's worked in the cell phone industry, is sponsoring a similar bill in the house.
Driving while putting on makeup or eating is distracting, but, he says, the data about cell phones is overwhelming.
"Driving with a cell phone is incredibly dangerous and the fact is that people overwhelmingly get more distracted using a cell phone than anything else. It doesn't excuse the other issues, but it's very important," he said.
To prove the point, the state's "Driven to Distraction Task Force" set up a test course at Qwest Field.
Many of us saw how difficult it was tackling the slalom with a cell phone in one hand, and I was really trying to do my best.
Now look what happens when I tried to text and drive. I honestly didn't have a clue what was happening in front of the vehicle.
Consider this: at highway speed, looking down for just five seconds to send a message or dial a call, you've traveled the length of one and a half football fields. That's scary!
The proposed bills would do three thing: make it a primary offense to drive while texting, e-mailing or talking on a cell phone handset. They would also make it an primary offense for someone with an intermediate driver's license or learner's permit to use any wireless communications device while driving.
Many people don't pay attention to the 3-year-old law because you can't get a ticket for doing it unless an officer sees you doing something else.
But two state lawmakers want to change that. They want drivers to pay attention to their driving and the law.
Driving is dangerous enough. Driving while texting or talking on a cell phone is incredibly dangerous. Studies show it's worse than driving drunk.
In Washington state, texting behind the wheel is illegal, as is driving while talking on a hand-held cell phone. But lots of people do it because it doesn't seem dangerous.
"It's a distraction of the mind," said Dave Overstreet of AAA Washington. "It takes your mind away from what is happening in front of you on the roadway."
Between 2006 and 2008, the Washington State patrol linked 3,000 accidents to talking on a cell phone.
Troopers say many people ignore the law because cops in our state can't pull you over for texting or talking unless they see you do something else.
"A lot of drivers are aware of that and a lot of them just don't seem concerned," said Capt. Steve Burns.
State Sen. Tracy Eide, D- Federal Way, says it's time to change that attitude.
"It's a safety issue, period. It's dangerous, period. It's time to hang up and drive," she said.
Rep. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, who's worked in the cell phone industry, is sponsoring a similar bill in the house.
Driving while putting on makeup or eating is distracting, but, he says, the data about cell phones is overwhelming.
"Driving with a cell phone is incredibly dangerous and the fact is that people overwhelmingly get more distracted using a cell phone than anything else. It doesn't excuse the other issues, but it's very important," he said.
To prove the point, the state's "Driven to Distraction Task Force" set up a test course at Qwest Field.
Many of us saw how difficult it was tackling the slalom with a cell phone in one hand, and I was really trying to do my best.
Now look what happens when I tried to text and drive. I honestly didn't have a clue what was happening in front of the vehicle.
Consider this: at highway speed, looking down for just five seconds to send a message or dial a call, you've traveled the length of one and a half football fields. That's scary!
The proposed bills would do three thing: make it a primary offense to drive while texting, e-mailing or talking on a cell phone handset. They would also make it an primary offense for someone with an intermediate driver's license or learner's permit to use any wireless communications device while driving.
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