The Filutowski Law Firm, PLLC

Wednesday, the Washington State House passed a bill prohibiting teenage drivers from using a cell phone while driving.  This ban is a primary offense and includes talking and texting.  The penalty is a $124 fine.   The House did not pass the portion of the bill proposing to make it a primary offense for adult drivers to talk on hand held cell phones.  It did pass the portion of the bill that makes it a primary offense for adult drivers to text and drive.

Much debate surrounds the issue of government regulating personal freedom in a car v. public safety, driver distraction being equivalent for adult drivers, and driver distraction being the same whether talking with a hand held cell phone or on a bluetooth.  For more information, read our firm’s past blog posts under Consumer Protection.

Increased number of collisions (many times, single vehicle) occur due to driver distraction. Dr. Phil reveals the grave risks teens pose to themselves and the public when texting and driving.  One teenager admits to being addicted to texting,  sending over 5,000 texts a month.

Teens do not recognize their level of inexperience. Simply being a “good texter” does not equate being a good driver.  Similarly, for adult drivers, simply being a good driver does not mean one can also effectively multi-task with texting or talking on a cell phone.  In 2007, New York-based news station, 13Whams researched driver distraction caused by texting following a fatal accident.  Three years later, the legislature in Washington is catching up with the pace of society.   Washington State remains to be only 1 of 19 states that has a law prohibiting texting while driving.

Opponents to making driving and talking on a cell phone a primary offense, argue that drivers are equally distracted by eating a BigMac, turning the radio dial, drinking coffee or navigating with GPS.  However, no studies indicate that the level of distraction is equivalent to that created by cell phones.  Studies routinely indicate that talking on a cell phone (whether hand held or on a bluetooth) increases the chances of an accident by four times, which is equivalent to drunk driving.

Copyright © 2010 The Filutowski Law Firm, PLLC. This post is intended for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice or legal opinions on any specific facts or circumstances. An attorney-client relationship is not created or continued by reading this post. If you would like further information regarding the matters discussed herein, you may post a comment. If you need a consultation on a legal matter, contact Alexandra Filutowski.