PULLMAN, Wash. — The Washington State Department of Transportation is encouraging college drivers headed to Washington State University in Pullman to be safe on the roads and put down their phones.
Electronic message signs will display this message from August 10-20: “Put down the phone. B/c I said so, Love Mom.” They are displayed along U.S. 95 and S.R. 26.
This comes after the implementation of Washington’s “E-DUI” law in 2017, which places fines on holding a cellphone and using it behind the wheel beyond a single touch. Washington State Patrol officials said they have issued more than 8,300 citations under that law since last July.
In a recent poll, respondents told Seattle-based insurer PEMCO that the law has impacted their sense of caution behind the wheel and caused them to cut back on cellphone use while driving. Nearly one in four respondents said the consequences of the new law have made them “much more cautious” about distracted driving, and more than one in three said they specifically talk and text less often – or not at all – now.
