Starting today, police can pull over anyone they see texting or talking on a cell phone without a headset and fine them $124. A state bill signed into law by Gov. Chris Gregoire in March makes a person holding a cell phone to his or her ear while driving, or reading, writing or sending texts guilty of a traffic infraction.
The law does not apply to people using authorized emergency vehicles or voice-operated GPS systems affixed to the vehicle, which allows the user to send or receive messages without taking their attention off the road or using their hands. Using a cell phone while driving to report illegal activity or call for emergency help is also OK.
People using hearing aids or operating tow trucks are also exempt from this law. Violations will not become part of the driver’s record or be made available to insurance companies or employers. Drivers with instructional permits or those younger than 18 are not allowed any cell phone use while driving—with or without headsets—except in case of emergencies.
The cell phone bill (Senate Bill 6345) can be found here
Speakerphone use is also OK, including dialing, etc.
Whew. I can still watch porn or play games on my phone while driving. The law only concerns communications, not anything else, so it seems like a defense to any citation for this that you were doing something on your phone other than communicating when you were pulled over for being seen holding your phone up in front of your face.
WA needs a law against general cell phone use in any public place. Let’s outlaw it, the way we did with smoking…
What’s up with not informing the insurance companies? That’s the primary deterrent for speeding. Why would they not put this on your record along with every other traffic violation?
This law seems kind of stupid.
who’s Rita Bhattacharjee ?
@4,
They won’t inform insurance companies or put it on your record because this law isn’t designed to stop people from using cell phones when driving, it’s only designed to get more money into the state funds. It’s just a tax on people unfortunate enough to be caught driving while using cell phones.
If they actually cared about cell phone use causing crashes or something, then they’d hit people with jail time or massive insurance increases or something. But no, they simply want some more money… not enough to keep people from using phones while driving, mind you, just enough to be annoying but undeterring.
Thank God.
Now our budget crisis is averted.
@6. Dead on.
In line with #2’s comment, has anybody heard (b-c the law doesn’t specify) what, if any, the punishment is for surfing the web on your phone while driving? A ton of people do this, but it seems they failed to address it.
Also comment worthy… doesn’t the new medical marijuana act come into play today?
You can still get a ticket for ‘negligent driving’, aka inattention to driving, an additional $250 ticket, and very bad for insurance. From the RCW 46.61.525: “negligent” means the failure to exercise ordinary care, and is the doing of some act that a reasonably careful person would not do”
The main change with the new cell phone law is that you can be pulled over just for having a phone in your hand. What you are cited for is always up to the officer. If you piss them off enough, you can get a ticket for not having a trash bag in your car.
What if it’s an empty Dick’s hamburger bag, does that count?
@9: what, if any, the punishment is for surfing the web on your phone while driving? A ton of people do this, but it seems they failed to address it.
“Reading text or scrolling the Web on your iPhone or BlackBerry also could get you a $124 ticket. ‘Scrolling is reading,’ Williams said when given the scenario. Troopers hear people say that reading an e-mail is not the same as texting. But Williams says driving and reading any text — a Web page, e-mail, words in an application — fall under the law that also prohibits sending a text message. Troopers make a judgment call when determining if a person is reading a text message.”
above from http://www.seattlepi.com/local/421474_ce…
I dunno. Also, I am done reading the boring WA RCW’s for the day.
If you get caught, just say you were about to make a phone call to report someone else making a phone call.
As long as the cops know I’m just looking for a song on my mp3 player, have at it.
I’m not going to gamble that the ‘I wasn’t reading, I was using the MP3 player/calling 911’ excuse won’t still get you a the cell phone ticket with the invitation to prove your cell use activity in court to have the ticket/fine dropped. Or a Neg. driving ticket. You can though, let us know how that turns out.
Having the 911 on speed dial won’t get you out of the ticket – your cell has a log of all calls.
How about using the Google Maps app on my iPhone? (If that’s not allowed then how is it any different than trying to read a paper map or handwritten/printed directions?)
@19 Good point!
You don’t say? I hadn’t heard that at least 20 times today.
Oh hey, good luck with this one, Washington! Here in California every day I see people driving poorly with one hand, chit-chatting on the phone with the other, despite a very similar law having been in effect for around 3 years now. I live near an elementary school and every day see parents driving one-handed, the other holding up their hand-held microwave-oven-without-walls up to their head, kids in the back seat, driving 35 MPH or faster. Does your state have enough po-po to spend time enforcing this law? We in Cali apparently do not.
Heh. I pulled into work this morning and saw two police cars who had pulled over a colleague for guess what? Law enforcement is on patrol!
I like @6’s response, that this is just to monetize what our police officers do more. I’m not trying to say distracted driving isn’t a problem, but if you’re really trying to go after people not paying attention to the road why not go after anyone who looks distracted? Why pick on the cell phone users? Putting on makeup, listening to the radio or scratching your balls is just as distracting. I guess that’s all we really know how to do, assess a fine and hope everyone will just fall into line. This law isn’t going to prevent the next distracted driver accident, and I feel like it’ll be another excuse to pull over drivers who otherwise would be allowed to continue on their way.
“Oh my mistake, your cell phone is in the trunk, I thought I saw it in your lap silly me, but since I have you pulled over let’s look at all your paperwork, check you for warrants and desperately look for an excuse to search your vehicle. After all, I’d hate to see this illegal stop go to waste, I need to have something to bring home the bacon right?”
When the police are forced to focus on the best way to make money, we sacrifice safety and gain the delusion that we’re more safe. Work with the car companies and cell phone companies to help save lives, the companies that don’t help you the government should brand as a hazard to your health. There’s absolutely no reason to ever sell a car that doesn’t have a hands-free set built into the car, unless you either hate life and pray daily for more car accidents or believe in some kind of fantasy reality where people would be expected to build their own car with their own hands-free set. Since we don’t live in a utopia, why not fix the problem, so that when the next iPads 10,000 comes out with technology beyond that of a cell phone we don’t need another law on the books requesting that people stop adding distractions to their ride. It should be convenient to be safe.