Earlier this year, Washington State passed laws that make it illegal to drive while holding an electronic device for almost any reason.
Since the law passed in late July, local law enforcement has stopped a total of 5,083 drivers for operating a vehicle while holding an electronic device. Nearly 400 drivers stopped were caught dangerously distracted, which typically involves eating or drinking behind the wheel.
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission has been monitoring behavior changes through a private company’s smartphone app. TrueMotion created a voluntarily downloadable app that monitors the motion of a smartphone’s sensors. This helps detect when a driver is interacting with the device while driving.
During a state Senate committee briefing last week, Commissioner Shelly Baldwin said that the app data shared by TrueMotion showed a decrease in distracted driving during the first two weeks after the new law was put into effect on July 23.
“However, they see that it has gone pretty much back up to what it was before,” Baldwin said. “So we’re looking forward to January when we (begin) enforcing.”
According to the Washington State Patrol, 770 out of the total 5,083 caught distracted drivers received actual citations. The fines for operating a motor vehicle while using an electronic device start at $136 for the first offense.
Chris Kettner, a tourist visiting Washington, stood above State Route 99 and easily spotted a number of people driving without giving the road their undivided attention.
“That guy is having a cheeseburger. She is texting. He is doing something on his phone,” Kettner told a local Seattle television news station.
While only 15 percent of drivers receive actual citations for distracted driving, many got away with just a warning during the six-month “educational period” of the new law. This phase is implemented with the purpose of making drivers aware of the new rule before penalizing violators.
“The problem with texting while driving is you are not even paying attention,” said Kettner.
Washington Senate Transportation Committee Chair, Curtis King, explained how he witnessed multiple drivers holding their phones to their ears at least three times during his Sunday drive to Olympia from his hometown.
“We have a ways to go,” King said. “I will admit I am as guilty as anybody, but we need to keep working at it because it is vitally important.”
With the new stricter distracted driving laws, drivers caught distracted by anything else other than an electronic device may still be subjected to receiving a fine of $99.
Federal estimates suggest that distracted driving contributes to a total of 16 percent of all fatal crashes in the United States, which leads to around 5,000 deaths per year.
Research conducted by the AAA recently revealed that the duration of distraction usually lasts an average of 27 seconds, which indicates that drivers continue to be distracted moments after they put down their electronic devices.
The six-month “educational period” for Washington drivers caught driving while distracted will come to an end by February 2018.