No more grace period for distracted driving

MOSES LAKE — The grace period for violators of Washington’s distracted driving law has ended and police will now be issuing tickets and fines for distracted driving.

Washington voters passed the Driving Under the Influence of Electronics Act in 2017 and the law went into effect in July, but the Washington State Patrol gave drivers a six-month grace period to get better acquainted with the law. The law allows drivers to use a hands-free application, such as Bluetooth, to talk on the phone. Drivers are given one touch of a device to start a function, but people are urged to start GPS, music and other electronics before they begin driving.

Drivers are not allowed to use cellphones as they are driving, stopped in traffic or at a stop light.

“This show of force calls attention to the public safety threat posed by drivers being distracted by texting or talking on their phones,” Washington Traffic Safety Commission program manager Angie Ward previously told the Columbia Basin Herald. “We want drivers to understand that you can operate a car. Or you can operate your phone. But you can’t be safe and do both at once.”

Fatalities caused by distracted driving in Washington increased by 32 percent from 2014 to 2015. A WTSC study revealed 71 percent of distracted drivers are sidetracked by their cellphone. Being sidetracked by a phone can now cost drivers, as first time violators of the law could be looking at a $136 ticket. A second ticket in five years carries with it a $234 fine.

Police officers can also issue $99 tickets for other distractions, such as grooming, smoking, eating or reading if the activity is interfering with a person’s driving and they are pulled over for another traffic offense. The patrol advises the public that cellphone violations are reported to insurance companies.