Washington's Tough E-DUI Law Starts Sunday: Here's What You Need To Know

BELLEVUE, WA - The glory days are over. The days of checking texts and Twitter while crawling along I-90 - gone. The days of eating a bagel (with cream cheese) while waiting for the Ballard Bridge to reopen - gone. The days of putting on a full face of makeup while cutting across the whole highway to access the SR 167 HOT lanes - gone.

Washington's tough new distracted driving law takes effect on Sunday. And that means everything from eating to programming the GPS while driving can now get you a hefty fine. Various police departments have said they will try to educate the public before issuing fines. Here are five things to know about the new law:

1. The law is in effect even if you're at a red light. For many, it's become second nature to read a text while sitting at a red light. The new law covers you as long as your car is running, no exceptions. Well, one exception: if you're calling 911.
2. Hands-free is OK. You can still use your car's Bluetooth functions, even if you're sending a text or whatever other space-age things cars can do these days.
3. You're allowed one touch. Here's an example: you program your GPS before you start your car; at some point during the trip, the GPS gets annoying and you want to shut it off - you're allowed that one touch to shut down the phone. Not two touches, one touch.
4. Non-phone activities are included. The fine is slightly less, but it'll cost you $99 if you get caught eating or reading a book (we've actually heard of people doing this in traffic) or even changing a CD (if you still have a CD player in your car) and it interferes with your driving.
5. The punishments are tougher. For phone-related offenses, the first fine is $136. If you get caught again within five years, the fine increases to $234. The offenses are also reportable to insurance companies, which means your rates might go up.

For more on the law, check out the state's Target Zero page.

Image via Associated Press