Hundreds of drivers nabbed for texting, talking on cell phones |
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Hundreds of drivers nabbed for texting, talking on cell phones
You've seen the bumper stickers encouraging motorists to "Hang up and Drive." Now, law enforcement officials in Washington state are making that happen the old-fashioned way: by issuing tickets.
It's been nearly a month since Washington state made it a primary offense to talk or text on a mobile phone from behind the wheel. And during that time, the Washington State Patrol says it has issued 736 citations for talking and 43 for texting.
Based on the $124 fine associated with the offense, that means the state has made nearly $100,000 on the new law in just 28 days.
State Patrol Chief John Batiste is even making it a priority. He personally cited a driver near Joint Base Lewis McChord last week. “The fellow was just driving along talking on his phone,” Batiste said in a press release. “He was fully aware of the law and had no excuses.”
The State Patrol isn't booking everyone who gets pulled over, with spokesman Bob Calkins saying that they've issued 504 warnings for talking and 44 for texting since the new law went into effect. Nonetheless, there was no formal grace period with the new law. That's because texting and talking had already been illegal in the state for two years as a secondary offense, meaning troopers needed to spot a driver making another illegal offense first.
Between 2006 and 2008, more than 3,000 drivers in the state were involved in collisions while using hand-held wireless devices, according to the Washington State Patrol.
In a TechFlash poll conducted last month, just over 40 percent of respondents said that they planned to either stop using a cell phone or utilize a hands-free device while driving as a result of the new law. Seventeen percent said they would ignore the law, continuing to make calls while driving.
We'll have to run the poll again in a few months and see if those percentages have changed.
[Editor's Note: We are looking for drivers who have been cited as a result of this new law. If you've been pulled over and would like to share your experience, please email me at johncook@bizjournals.com].
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