President Obama signed an Executive Order forbidding federal workers to text while driving government vehicles. This order is an attempt to decrease the number of serious collisions caused by inattentive driving. The federal law only applies to federal workers while they are on the job using federal government vehicles.
In comparison, Washington State law only prohibits drivers from holding a cell phone to their ear while operating a vehicle. If the cell phone is in “hands-free” mode (e.g., on speaker or connected to a bluetooth device), one has not committed a fraction. Washington State law is silent on the issue of texting while operating a vehicle.
