Last October, a new law went into effect in Oregon, making it illegal to drive while holding or using an electronic device, such as a cell phone.
Now, Eugene Police say that the harsher rules appear to be working.
Sgt. Shawn Marsh says that he’s seen less drivers taking their eyes off the road and onto their screens. In Eugene, there have been less than 260 tickets since the law went into effect.
Oregon State Police had issued 3,443 tickets under the new law between October 1 and the end of June – an average of almost 400 per month.
The consequence for using your cell phone while driving in Oregon can go from a ticket to possible jail time for repeat offenders.
A first offense that doesn’t contribute to a crash is a Class B violation, with a fine up to $1,000.
“We’ll be driving along or riding along and you’ll see people, they’re on the speakerphone but they’re still holding it,” said Marsh.
“The common response is ‘Well, I didn’t have it up to my ear.’
Well it doesn’t matter, if you’re holding the phone, if you’re touching your phone other than the one swipe, it’s a violation.”
Cellular stores say that they have seen an increase in sales for hands free devices go up, but having your phone out of your hand and out of the way is the best way to make sure that you steer clear of a ticket and harming others.
While it takes three years to see if the law has really worked, drivers seem to be going the extra mile to keep safe.
Killed Two Children By Texting and Driving
2.35 million people in the US are injured or disabled by car crashes every year. More than 330,000 of these crashes that cause severe injury are caused by texting and driving.
Do you still text and drive? Even if you are not holding your phone… It can be easy to fall into if you think “no one is looking”- but the problem is, neither are you.
