Last May Governor Jay Inslee signed into law a new Driving Under the Influence of Electronics law (DUIE) set to go into effect on July 23.

It has been illegal to text, take photos, watch videos, or otherwise be distracted while driving for a long time. Yet, everyone has seen people holding a phone while driving, waited behind someone at a stoplight who was looking at their phone, and heard multiple stories of accidents caused by someone who could not control their urge to take their attention off their phone and keep it on driving. 

Let’s review some simple facts:

The average weight of a passenger car in America today is over 4000 pounds. According to the National Safety Council, your chance of dying in a crash doubles for every 10 mph that you travel above 50 mph. In other words driving carries with it some obvious, inherent dangers not only to you but anyone else on the road. At 25 mph, the new speed limit on neighborhood roads in Seattle you move just over 36 feet per second. So in two seconds you have traveled 72 feet. How long do people take to look at their phones while driving? A lot it appears. An article on Wired.com points out some truly alarming facts. https://www.wired.com/2017/04/turns-horrifying-number-people-use-phones-driving/

“Drivers are using their phones on 88 percent of their journeys. The average driver spends 3.5 minutes on the phone per one hour trip.”  The article points out that a two second distraction increases your risk of crashing by 20 percent. Yet, these inarguable facts mean literally nothing to those whose FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is so powerful that it overcomes logic. 

Apple, which essentially created the modern era of modern texting with the introduction of the iPhone has finally recognized some responsibility in this issue and in an upcoming software release is offering a feature called Do Not Disturb While Driving (it’s optional of course) but at least it might prevent the constant diversion of attention from the road ahead.

The new law toughens up existing distracted driving rules, which only prevented texting and holding a phone to the ear. Under the new law, drivers are forbidden to use any handheld device behind the wheel, even at a stop light. Language in the bill tightens up the types of activities that are forbidden while driving, forbidding motorists to email, play games, or take pictures.

Violation of the DUIE Act will now be considered a moving violation like speeding. It is also a primary offense, so police are free to pull a driver over just for using a handheld device.

A first time DUIE offense will cost a driver $136. For the second DUIE offense, the fine jumps up to $235.

Put down the phone, drive defensively because many will simply refuse to take this advice, and enjoy the drive (yes even in a traffic jam). The habit of looking at your phone while driving could very well cost:

1. An expensive ticket

2. Increased insurance rates

3. Serious injury and property damage

4. Yours or someone else’s life.