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Give cell phone law meaning

The Spokesman-Review

When is the Washington state government going to wake up and realize the law that was implemented last year regarding cell phone usage while operating a vehicle is a joke?

The current law states that talking on a cell phone (without a hands-free headset) or texting while driving are both secondary offenses. This means you have to get pulled over for another traffic violation in order to get ticketed for talking or texting while driving. From what I have seen on the roadways, this new law has changed absolutely nothing.

Next time you are stopped at a red light, watch all the cars that go cruising past you and count how many of the drivers have cell phones stuck to their ears. You will then see what I am talking about. How many more accidents are we going to allow due to cell phone distractions before we really start to crack down on this law?

The Washington state government should make these violations primary offenses, and then, just maybe, people will start to take it seriously, and our roadways can be ones where people are actually watching the road.

Mark A. Schaber

Spokane



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