KENNEWICK, Wash. — Local police are trying to prevent distracted driving by highlighting the issue throughout October.
Washington enacted its driving under the influence of electronics or E-DUI law in July 2017. According to the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC), the number of traffic deaths that involved distraction decreased 25% in 2018 — to 116 down from 155 in 2017. In 2019, the number of deaths rose slightly to 118 but remained well below the 2017 number.
In Kennewick alone, from January 1st through October 7th, nearly 500 people received a ticket for distracted driving. KPD Officer Justin Peterson said people need to understand what they’re doing may seem harmless, but it’s not.
“I mean we’ve all checked our cell phones, we’ve all sent a text we’ve all done those things and never been in a crash. Just because you get away with it once or twice or twenty or a hundred times there might be one time that you’re looking at your cellphone and hit someone in the crosswalk,” Peterson said.
In Washington, a distracted driving ticket will cost you a minimum 136 dollars. That’s not including the potential increase in insurance costs. Peterson says sometimes he’ll give people warnings if he feels they understand what they did was wrong.
Usually the department catch distracted drivers when they’re blatantly on their phones or it causes them to swerve, speed, or crash.
“It’s to correct behaviors not to punish so that a reason for a ticket it’s to correct behavior that’s the reason for a traffic stop,” Peterson said.
The law is clear though, no holding any electronic device while driving and that means not even a quick swipe at a stoplight.
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October 10, 2020 at 06:47AM
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Kennewick police encourage drivers to put down the device, to save a life - YakTriNews KAPP-KVEW
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