Washington State Patrol plans to fully enforce new cell phone law starting June 10

The Washington State Patrol announced May 14 that it will not offer a grace period to drivers when texting while driving and failure to use a hands-free device become primary traffic offenses on June 10.

It is common for the state patrol to offer an educational grace period when a new law requires drivers to change long-standing behavior, according to a State Patrol media release.

“Drivers have already had nearly two years to adjust their driving habits,” said State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste. “We will fully enforce this law from day one.”

The fine for a violation is $124.

Laws prohibiting texting and requiring hands-free devices took effect in 2008, but have been considered secondary violations. Officers had to witness some other infraction in order to make a traffic stop.

The new designation as primary offenses mean police can stop drivers for a texting or cell phone violation alone.

Batiste is disappointed that the initial law didn’t win more voluntary compliance. In some cases there was outright defiance.

“They would look right at our troopers with phones held to their ears,” Batiste said. “They knew that without another violation we couldn’t do anything.”

The texting and cell phone requirements are intended to save lives and reduce injuries by eliminating two major sources of driver distraction.

Since the laws went into effect in 2008, the State Patrol has written approximately 3,000 tickets and given about 5,900 warnings. The patrol believes the number of collisions caused by inappropriate use of mobile devices is greatly under-reported.

“Few drivers are going to admit they were on a cell phone, or texting, after a crash,” Batiste said. “We are choosing to take action before a collision occurs in hopes of preventing these needless tragedies.”