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<< Previous   of   Next >>   ADVERTISEMENT   CONTACT THE HERALD Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com   Published: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 Driver on cell phone triggers morning crash Herald Staff MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — A man trying to talk on his cell phone is blamed for a head-on collision on I-5 Wednesday that snarled the morning commute. The crash occurred just before 8 a.m. when a Lynnwood man, 29, was headed north on I-5 just north of the King County line, Washington State Patrol trooper Keith Leary said. The man attempted to put his phone in speaker mode, lost control of his car, jumped the median and collided with a southbound car moving at slow speeds in heavy traffic. Police and emergency crews blocked four southbound lanes for about 30 minutes tending to the accident. "It took a toll on our commute," Leary said. The collision injured three people who were taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle with non-life threatening injuries as a precaution. "Don’t use your cell phone while driving," Leary said. "This is a perfect example of what happens when not paying 100 percent attention while on the road." It is against the law in Washington to drive while using a cellphone, except for phones equipped with hands-free devices. READER COMMENTS Log in or register to post new comment | Log out Epidemic of carelessness I can not tell you how many times as a pedestrian even I was almost hit by a driver making a turn while focussing on his/her cell phone conversation. When he/she realized in mid-turn that they almost hit me (I with right of way) I end up getting a finger or cussed out. This is borderline reckless driving, isn't it? For an epidemic of carelessness, weren't there laws passed? If you can't use a headset (hands free taking), then you should turn your phone off or pull over to **** with it. I am all for communications, but not at the price of hurting or killing someone. Please people, get a headset or don't use the cell while driving PERIOD! Surreal Raven | Oct 15, 2008 3:22 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal There is no enforcement... It is a standing joke. I make the commute from Mukilteo to Seattle every day and the number of drivers on cell phones has increased exponentially. There is no compliance without enforcement and making the cell phone issue a secondary offense is just plain stupid. Other states have tried that approach, have the facts and data to confirm it didn't work, but apparently our Legislature knew better, eh? How many more collisions (these are not accidents, folks) will we have before reckless and negligent driving is properly addressed with sufficiently harsh penalties to get the bad eggs off the road and act as a deterrent to all the other clueless drivers? ekunigon | Oct 15, 2008 4:15 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal Cell Phones Illegal? Cell Phones Illegal? Say it ain't so..... I can't believe it at all. I have lived and traveled all over the US and the World. In most places if something is ‘Illegal’, the law enforces it, you know little things like tickets, fines and so on. I have a long commute everyday (100 miles+) and have plenty of time to watch drivers. The first day of the supposed law going into effect there was a slight reduction of people with their hands glued to their heads, but no more. Two weeks ago I was nearly side swiped on I-5 by an idiot weaving back and forth across lanes like a drunk, talking on his cell with one hand and trying to drink his coffee with the other. At first I was annoyed and then I saw a State Trooper coming up fast in the left lane from behind me. “Busted” I thought, and was looking forward to seeing the trooper pull over the idiot. To my surprise he didn’t. Most likely he didn’t notice anything wrong because HE WAS TALKING ON HIS CELL PHONE and the by the big grin as he whooshed by I really doubt it was a response call. When I called about it I was told they cannot ticket for using a cell phone by itself, they have to wait until something else happens (note they simply ignored the whole Trooper part of my questions as if I never said anything) . What kind of stupidity is this? A law is only good if it is enforced. When people finally figured out that not using a seatbelt killed people they mandated their use by law, but nothing happened until they also mandated that law enforcement actually did something. I remember sweeps and checks for several years with people receiving some pretty hefty fines, especially for repeats. And suddenly people got the message and started using them. So they finally made it sort of illegal to use a cell phone but in the same breath made the law toothless. But on the whole subject my biggest question is why are law enforcement officers (supposedly they are law enforcement officers) exempt from obeying the very laws they are enforcing?? S Sanders | Oct 15, 2008 3:55 pm | 0 replies | View all | Post reply | Request removal

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