Date:  Wednesday, December 26, 2007

Contact: Melanie Coon, WSDOT Communications - 360-705-7078

OLYMPIA - The Washington State Patrol plans to vigorously enforce the state’s new law against sending text messages while driving, once that law takes effect Jan. 1.

“Texting while driving was always a bad idea,” said WSP Chief John R. Batiste. “Things happen too fast on the highway to take your eyes off the road long enough to read or type a message.”

Because inputting and sending a text message while driving is a secondary violation, troopers cannot stop drivers if they see it occurring. This type of distraction is known to cause other driving errors, such as weaving or unsafe lane changes. It could mean drivers end up with two tickets instead of just one.

WSDOT recently posted collision data on its web site showing how many collisions result from distractions like using a cell phone. Seven percent of all crashes have distractions as the cause. Within that seven percent, 14 percent are attributed to cell phone or hands free devices. Cell phone and hands free distraction crashes are less than one percent of all collisions, but WSDOT advises drivers to pull safely off the road if a text message or cell phone call requires immediate attention.

It’s also time to start shopping for a hands-free device to use when talking on a cellular phone. The law requiring hands free devices goes into effect on July 1, and will be enforced with similar vigor.

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