texting while driving

WA gets top marks for seatbelt use, lagging on cell phone safety

KPLU News Staff — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 00:20:03 +0000

Washington State has the highest rate of seat belt use in the nation. That’s according to a report recently released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Bob Calkins with the Washington State Patrol keeps an eye on the statistics.

“The national average is 84 percent. We are first among competing states at 97 and a half percent,” he says.

Following Washington are California, Oregon and Hawaii.

No more texting, but what about mapping while driving?

Jessica Robinson — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 19:39:45 +0000

Beginning this summer, texting will be illegal for drivers across all three Northwest states. Idaho Governor Butch Otter signed a bill Thursday that outlaws texting while driving on Idaho roads. But in the age of the smartphone, text messages aren’t the only distraction on the tiny screen.

If you can’t text , then all three states say it’s pretty clear that means you can’t send email in traffic either, , or, for that matter, surf the web.

Using tragedy to teach dangers of texting while driving

Paula Wissel — Wed, 18 May 2011 04:45:21 +0000

http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kplu/local-kplu-969292.mp3

How do you convince someone not to text or talk on the cell phone while driving? How about an in-your- face reminder of what can happen if you do? That's the tactic Seattle Police have been using this week.

They've been parking a black Honda, with the driver's side smashed in, outside area high schools. A Tumwater teenager, Heather Lerch, died in the car in February of 2010 while texting and driving.