I think that everyone would agree that it is not the best practice to drive while talking with a cell phone pressed to your ear. We hear about some in the Legislature who would like to make it illegal for us to talk and drive and all of the law enforcement agencies in the state are behind them 100 percent.
Yet, for the third time in as many weeks I have witnessed an officer of the law driving their marked patrol cars while holding a cell phone up to their ear. All three instances were during moderate to heavy traffic. One was by an Everett K-9 officer and two were by Washington State Patrol officers. Two of them were making a left-hand turn through a busy intersection at the time. If it is such a hazard to talk on the phone and drive, why are police officers allowed to do so?
I assume that the various agencies in this state have rules to the effect that cell phone use while driving is prohibited. If not, they should. If so, they are no being followed. If these calls were of a legitimate job-related nature I, as a taxpayer, would not have a problem supplying the officers with hands- free devices for their agency-provided cell phones so that they could perform their duties with maximum efficiency.
On the other hand, if these calls were of a personal nature on personal cell phones they should not be allowed while driving. The police need to set a good example for everyone else to follow. If it is OK for them to drive while talking on a cell phone it must be OK for the rest of us.
Everett
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