We’ve heard about it for months, but starting Thursday June 10, using a hand held device while driving becomes a primary offense in Washington state.

My name is Margot Smith and I am a TADD supporter. I have already started a campaign at my high school, Eastlake High School, in hopes of making an impact on my peers.

The distracted driving problem has been around forever, but has become an increasingly big problem for my generation due to intense cell phone and text messaging usage. This sparked my interest in putting a stop to this negative behavior.

The campaign will officially begin at Eastlake this Thursday, May 27. On this day I will be working with the Swerve Driving team to to stand outside my school’s entrance and tally the number of distracted drivers entering school. This will be useful data for the pamphlet/brochure I will be making for students, as well as for our school’s assembly next year. Along with this, I am working to put together a design for a window sticker students can display on the back of their cars. This is just the start to a wonderful campaign. I’ll post more about the campaign after the Drive Nice Day on Thursday. Wish me luck 🙂

The Washington State Patrol announced today that there will be no grace period for drivers texting or talking while driving when failing to use a hands-free device becomes a primary traffic offense on June 10.

“We will fully enforce this law from day one,” WSP Chief John R. Batiste

While it’s common for state patrol to offer a period of time for drivers to break habits when new laws take effect, Batiste says drivers have had two years to adjust.

Laws prohibiting distracted driving behaviors actually took effect June 2008. The new law, though, makes distracted driving a primary offense, meaning law enforcement officers need to see no other infraction at hand in order to pull drivers over.

Since 2008, Washington State Patrol has issued 3,000 tickets and about 5,900 warnings regarding the cell phone ban. Drivers caught in the act risk a $124 fine.

While high-tech innovations could help stop behaviors, parents can be examples to their children by not engaging in distracting habits in the car. Interview from National Public Radio.

Oprah isn’t the only high-profile figure creating regulations for employees that prohibit texting and driving on the job.

President Obama has also banned all federal employees from texting while operating a government car and using a government mobile phone while operating a private car.