For me the interesting statistic in this article is that tickets for cell phone use while driving dwarf the number of tickets given in DC to pedestrians and bicyclists. Traffic enforcement needs to be across the board. Pedestrians and bicyclists violations of simple traffic laws are rampant and this article shows, there is little consequence to the law breaker - unless they get hit. I am not saying that pedestrians and bicyclists are at fault when they are involved in an accident. I am saying that bicyclists and pedestrians have little to worry about from traffic enforcement - and that some enforcement would change the culture.

Also - the headline should be that ticketing for cell phone use while driving has gone down.

DC is doing a lot to promote bike riding but there is nothing said about the responsibilities to obey traffic laws by bike riders. Traffic enforcement needs to apply to all who use our streets - no one has the higher ground because of their method of transport.

D.C. issues over 10,000 tickets to chatty drivers

By: Kytja Weir | 09/26/11 8:05 PM
Examiner Staff Writer Follow Her @kytja

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.

Distracted driving citations using a cell phone
Fiscal year	Tickets Issued	Revenue
2007	10,864	$794,285
2008	12,517	$976,754
2009	11,145	$995,438
2010	13,395	$1,104,659
2011*	10,800	$1,031,140
* Oct. 1, 2010 through Sept. 23, 2011
Source: D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles

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 learner's 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.

That's 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. "It's 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 it's the handheld device that's the problem," he said. "Whether you are hands-free or on a handheld device, you've still got a problem where you can be distracted and hit another motorist or pedestrians. And that's a problem."

kweir@washingtonexaminer.com

http://washingtonexaminer.com/local/dc/2011/09/dc-issues-over-10000-tickets-chatty-drivers