Last Friday, Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a bill that makes talking and texting while driving a primary offense. The law will go in effect on June 10th, 2010.
Under the previous cell phone law in Washington State, talking and texting while driving was considered a secondary offense. This meant that law-enforcement officers could not stop a cell-phone using driver unless there was another reason, such as speeding.
The new law will allow an officer to pull over a driver for using his/her cellphone while driving, and issue a $124 citation.
The new law also completely bans any cell phone use for young drivers under 18, even if they use a hands-free device or Bluetooth. (Talking with a hands-free device remains legal for older, more practiced drivers.)
As KOMO news recently reported, Cindy Baker-Williams was among those who supported passage of stronger rules. Her son, Billy, age 12, suffered a brain injury four years ago while walking to the school bus. Billy Williams was in a coma for nearly a month and suffered injuries to his brain’s speech centers. Witnesses to the crash said the driver was talking on a cell phone at the time. “It’s a very emotional time,” Baker-Williams said. “Behind this bill, we see faces of people in our community who hopefully will never have to go through a pedestrian-car accident.”
To get an idea of just how distracting texting while driving can be, the New York Times published a game that simulates the distraction. Please click here to play: Gauging Your Distraction.
(For the record: I didn’t do so well. But no matter how high you score – please don’t text and drive in real life.)