District of Columbia: Cell phone laws, bills

Distracted driving news: Looks like drivers in the nation’s capital are committing cell phone and text messaging infractions at a record pace. Metropolitan Police wrote 11,868 tickets in 2010. That’s up 24 percent over the year before and ties the Washington, D.C., record for distracted driving tickets set two years ago.

Current prohibitions:

• Drivers using cell phones must use hands-free devices. Police say this law covers text messaging while driving.
• Drivers with learner’s permits prohibited from using all cell phones.
• School bus operators prohibited from using cell phones while driving.

Pending legislation:
None.

Legislation notes:
Using a handheld cell phone while driving in the District of Columbia can result in a $100 ticket.

Police in nearby Fairfax County, Va., ticketed more than 9,000 people for inattentive driving during 2010. That’s a 24 percent jump from 2010′s numbers.

A Washington Post poll published April 4, 2010, found that 80 percent of “area” adults said they often see distracted driving on the road. About a quarter of those surveyed said they text message, email or surf the Net while driving. “Almost everyone in the poll reported seeing area drivers frequently clutching cellphones, and nearly three-quarters regularly observe drivers typing on mobile devices,” the Post said.

Enforcement of the hands-free cell phone law began in summer 2004. Between 2004 and 2008, more than 42,000 tickets were written with $4 million in fines collected.

D.C. police reported writing about 7,500 tickets in 2005. In 2006, more than 8,300 tickets were issued. In 2007, citations neared 10,000. In 2008, almost 12,000 tickets were issued for cell phone-related traffic violations. Tickets are running at an all-time high in 2010.

In 2009, a “reconsideration” of the distracted driving laws was sought by Ward 2 D.C. Council member Jack Evans. A resident has Tweeted a photo that allegedy shows Evans driving and using a handheld cell phone, reporting that the councilman almost hit his vehicle.

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