What to Know About Washington's New Distracted Driving Law

Washington's lawmakers returned to the Capitol last week for “Committee Days.” The highlights on their agenda will cover distracted driving and salmon net pens. Recent crackdown on DUI-E’s (Driving Under The Influence of Electronics) has some of us concerned over what steps should be taken while travelling on the road. The Driving Under The Influence of Electronics Act has been in effect since last July but law enforcement has been cracking down harder than ever in an effort to slow down the number of car crashes in Washington. According to a Seattle personal injury lawyer, Greg Colburn, there is a car accident every five minutes in Washington. Follow the facts to ensure you’re driving safely behind the wheel. One of these tickets could set you back $136 and for second-time offenders within a five year period, $234.

Defining Distraction

According to the NHTSA, “Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system—anything that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving.”

The law forbids phone calls, reading, watching videos, scrolling social media and taking photos. This is a reminder that distracted driving isn’t always about electronic devices. It can be caused by a variety of things. According Washington State Patrol Chief John Batiste, if an officer sees you sipping a coffee or eating and it causes you to drive badly, you can still get a distracted driving ticket.

Consequences

Law enforcement has been cracking down on offenders and this isn't going to stop anytime soon. In fact, it’s on the top of their radar. Texting and holding your phone to your ear has been illegal in Washington for quite some time. The DUIE law prohibits handling a phone behind the wheel for any reason.

Exceptions To The Rule

• Handheld phone calls to 911 or other emergency services
• Parked or out-of-the-flow of traffic
• Voice activated calling
• Hands free-phones
• Urgent calls between transit employees and dispatchers
• Drivers can use a mounted dashboard phone case (for limited purposes such as streaming music or GPS)
• Minimal finger use allowed only to activate phone with “one touch”

On The Road, Off The Phone

Unfortunately, it is still too soon to speculate if the law put in place has saved lives. It seems there has been an increase since 2012 in distracted driving and as a result has led to stricter laws. However, a study conducted in 2014 by The American Journal of Public Health, “Impact of Texting Laws on Motor Vehicular Fatalities in the United States” researched the correlation these types of laws have with the fatality rates in car accidents.

The study found several fascinating details about how stricter laws can alter fatality rates, “Our analyses indicate that primarily enforced texting laws are associated with fatality reductions among younger individuals, both drivers and non drivers.” They found that in states that allow police to pull over drivers who are texting, there was a 5% reduction in the incidence of fatal accidents. 5% is a impactful amount when someone’s life is at risk. Hopefully in the new year data released to the public will provide a better insight into how beneficial the distracted driving laws are to our citizens in Washington.