Washington state public-safety officials say there will be no more excuses for drivers. Washington’s newest distracted driving law proclaims: on the road, off the phone. The anti-distraction law took effect on Sunday, July 23rd, and comes with a six-month grace period which will net you a warning and an educational card if you are stopped for using an electronic device—that is, if you are stopped by a Washington State Patrol officer. Some other counties will follow suit by focusing on education in the first few months and fines later on. This is not true for all counties, however.
Kings County Sheriff’s Office intends to give no grace period at all, and will immediately begin treating electronic distractions just like any other traffic infraction. Since the grace period could vary from county to county, the best course of action is to stop the distractions entirely when you are behind the wheel in the state of Washington. Fines for the infraction, should you receive a ticket for using an electronic device while driving, will be $136.
Driver Distraction Costs Lives
In 2016, 156 of the 537 auto accident fatalities in the state of Washington were attributed to driver distraction, as were 572 (one-fourth) of the 2,208 serious injuries which resulted from distracted driving. The new law essentially bans the use of a hand-held device entirely. You may not make or receive phone calls on a handheld device, nor may you read or send a text, type a social media post, take a photograph, or look at data of any type. While some states have a ban on handheld devices except when the driver is stopped at a light or traffic sign, this new law does not allow the use of a handheld device in these situations. [Read more…]
