OLYMPIA – Gov. Chris Gregoire signed a new law today enabling law enforcement officers to stop and ticket drivers they see talking on a cell phone pressed to their ear.
The measure toughens an existing law by making it a primary offense to use a hand held phone or be texting while behind the wheel of a moving motor vehicle.
Violators will receive a $124 ticket.
Use of a headset or Bluetooth device is and will remain legal.
The new law also bans all cell phone use for licensed drivers under 18, allowing police to stop those younger drivers even if they’re using a headset.
Since 2007 a violation for using a hand held phone has been a secondary offense meaning police needed another reason to stop a vehicle, like speeding, before they could issue a citation.
In 2009, the Washington State Patrol contacted 5,141 drivers about the phone in their hands and wound up writing 1,607 tickets. They handed out 236 tickets for texting which is a bit harder to see at 65 miles per hour.
Washington is the sixth state making it a primary offense to use a hand held phone.
The new law takes effect in June.
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