Cell Phone Driving Tickets Going Up
HERMISTON - I pointed my camera at this Hermiston intersection -- and it didn't take long to find this woman chatting it up. This has been illegal since January - KEPR has learned, people aren't getting the message.
Look at the trend KEPR discovered in Hermiston. A one month grace period meant no tickets were written in January. Since then, the numbers have steadily climbed. Cops are on pace to write another 40 by the end of this month.
"I still see people using their cell phones when they drive down the road. Texting, too. It's something they need to stop doing," said Hermiston resident Brian Rietmann.
For Washington drivers - the switch from a secondary offense to a primary one is right around the corner. This means you can be pulled over just for talking on the phone. Unlike in Hermiston - state troopers will have their ticket books ready on day one.
"There is not going to be any grace period. The law goes into effect June 10th. We'll enforce the law from day one and hopefully try to cut down on those driver distractions," said WSP Sgt. Roger Wilbur.
This Kennewick driver is not happy about the quick trigger for the ticket.
"I think the grace period - they should give us time. People need time to adapt. People need to get used to not using their cell phones," said Kennewick resident Pedro Alvarez.
Hermiston police hope the ticket spike will settle soon.
"I wish we would have a month with no tickets. We have better things to do," said Beinert.
Look at the trend KEPR discovered in Hermiston. A one month grace period meant no tickets were written in January. Since then, the numbers have steadily climbed. Cops are on pace to write another 40 by the end of this month.
"I still see people using their cell phones when they drive down the road. Texting, too. It's something they need to stop doing," said Hermiston resident Brian Rietmann.
For Washington drivers - the switch from a secondary offense to a primary one is right around the corner. This means you can be pulled over just for talking on the phone. Unlike in Hermiston - state troopers will have their ticket books ready on day one.
"There is not going to be any grace period. The law goes into effect June 10th. We'll enforce the law from day one and hopefully try to cut down on those driver distractions," said WSP Sgt. Roger Wilbur.
This Kennewick driver is not happy about the quick trigger for the ticket.
"I think the grace period - they should give us time. People need time to adapt. People need to get used to not using their cell phones," said Kennewick resident Pedro Alvarez.
Hermiston police hope the ticket spike will settle soon.
"I wish we would have a month with no tickets. We have better things to do," said Beinert.
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