In Washington and Oregon, it is currently lawful to drive while using a hands-free device for your phone. That could change, if one Washington state lawmaker has their way.
In 2010, Washington state lawmakers made holding your phone or texting while driving a primary offense, which means a police officer doesn't need any other reason to pull a car over to cite the driver for an offense.
That law and the new tougher one have been spearheaded by Democratic Senator Tracey Eide. In the new proposal, just touching your phone (even at a stop light) would be against the law.
In addition, Senator Eide’s bill would make the fines for repeat cell phone offenders twice as harsh (as high as $248). Oregon is still much higher with a possible $500 fine for texting while driving.
“You being behind the wheel of a car scares the heck out of me when you’re using these devices, and its has proven to be a fact that they are very, very dangerous and it’s equivalent to driving drunk,” says Senator Eide.
