Distracted driving enforcement patrols coming in April

MOSES LAKE — Numerous local law enforcement agencies will be joining over 150 other agencies statewide in the first couple of weeks in April to crack down on violators of Washington’s distracted driving law.

The Ferry, Lincoln, Grant and Adams County Target Zero Taskforce will be coordinating the emphasis patrols, which will run from April 2-14. Other participating agencies are the Washington State Patrol, the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Othello Police Department, Ephrata Police Department, Grand Coulee Police Department, Grant County Sheriff’s Office, MACC Dispatch, Moses Lake Police Department, Royal City Police Department, Soap Lake Police Department, Warden Police Department, Ritzville Police Department and Mattawa Police Department.

In total, more than 150 agencies statewide will be on the lookout for violators of the state’s new Driving Under the Influence of Electronics (E-DUI) law. The legislation prohibits drivers from holding cell phones or other electronic devices, such as tablets, laptops, games and other handheld devices, while they are driving, stopped in traffic or stopped at a stop light. Under the law, the use of a hands free device is restricted to one touch of the device.

“Our goal is to raise public awareness about the dangers of distracted driving,” Alison Mitchell, Target Zero manager for the Grant County Target Zero Task Force, explained. “Research shows that drivers are three times more likely to crash when talking on the phone, and 23 times more likely to crash when entering information into their phone.”

Since the E-DUI law started in July, almost 1,500 drivers a month have received a distracted driving ticket. The first violation of the law results in a $136 fee, while a second ticket in five years increases the penalty to $234. In addition, all information regarding cell phone-related infractions is now made available to insurance companies.

As a part of the increased patrols on the law enforcement side, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) recently announced a public service announcement campaign that has a goal of providing extra education to parents and caregivers on the importance of not becoming distracted by a device while driving.

“We need to change the culture of distracted driving in our state,” WTSC Deputy Director Pam Pannkuk stated. “We believe parents can lead the way in making this shift and model good driving behavior for their children.”

Richard Byrd can be reached via email at city@columbiabasinherald.com.