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D.C. issues over 10,000 tickets to chatty drivers [Examiner, The (Wash., DC)](Examiner, The (Wash., DC) Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) The District is netting more than $1 million a year nabbing drivers gabbing on their cell phones while driving. More than 10,800 tickets for driving while using a cell phone have been issued this fiscal year, which ends Friday, according to the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles. In the past four years, the city averaged about 11,980 tickets a year, or the equivalent of about 33 tickets a day. The idea of the law is to get drivers to put their phones down and focus on the driving as part of a nationwide push against distracted driving. More than 30 states have banned texting while driving, while nine states plus D.C. have banned the use of handheld phones behind the wheel. The District enacted its ban in 2004 on drivers talking on cell phones unless they are using hands-free devices. D.C. was one of the first cities to pass such a ban; New York City passed its law in 2001. School bus drivers and those with learners permits in D.C. face tougher rules of no cell phones at all, earpiece or not, while driving. The city also has banned texting while driving. And even though the District was early to adopt restrictions, its rules are still tougher than in neighboring Maryland and Virginia. The city does have some loopholes, though. Drivers can call 911 or 311, hospitals or first-aid providers in an emergency without pulling over. And first-time offenders can have the $100 fine suspended if they provide proof of purchasing a hands-free device before the fine is imposed, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. The city has dismissed 1,576 tickets this year, according to DMV data. Thats far more than all the tickets typically issued to pedestrians and bicyclists combined. The District issued 628 citations to pedestrians last fiscal year for various offenses including failure to obey crossing signals, and issued tickets to 334 bicyclists. AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesman John Townsend credits the city as being light years ahead with its rules and praised D.C. for its high- profile ticketing of cell phone users. Its the one ticket that can save your life, he said. But even so, he said, officials should send a more complete message against distracted driving. Both the District and the drivers are lulled into believing its the handheld device thats the problem, he said. Whether you are hands-free or on a handheld device, youve still got a problem where you can be distracted and hit another motorist or pedestrians. And thats a problem. [email protected] (c) 2011 ProQuest Information and Learning Company; All Rights Reserved. |