I agree halfway with Mike West’s recent “Drive Time” column about not texting or calling while driving. He hits the nail on head when he asserts that one shouldn’t call or text while driving. To me, that’s as basic as not driving with an uncovered latte in your hand. However, to contribute drivers’ continued use of their non-headset cell phones to “greed, selfishness and instant gratification” is a stretch, in my view. It’s much more simple than that. It’s simple economics, not psychology.

Yes, when they had the chance, our lawmakers should have had the guts to simply outlaw ALL calling while driving (and texting by extension). Headset or not. Period. But they didn’t go that far and only went halfway. When this half-baked law went in to effect on Jan. 1, 2008, law enforcement agencies around the state announced they would not enforce it until July 1, as to give everyone the opportunity to get a headset and start obeying the law.

I have not heard of a single fine levied against a driver simply for ignoring this law. And that, in my opinion, is the real reason behind the fact that no one obeys it. Even if there’s a $101 fine for violating the law, there are in effect no consequences for breaking it when it is not enforced. If laws are not enforced, they are broken. Simple as that.

Often while I sit at a traffic light I’ll count the number of drivers passing in front of me while they yak on their phone without a headset. I consistently observe 30-40 percent of drivers using their cell phone without a headset.

If law enforcement would vigorously enforce the law, I guarantee two things. One: everyone will cry foul and assert the law is not fair (“It’s unfair to force people to spend money on a headset in these tough economic times”) and, two: people WILL go out and buy a headset or simply stop calling while driving. It gets expensive to continue the old habit.

It’s not “greed, selfishness and instant gratification.” It’s simple economics: Make it expensive to ignore the law and it will be obeyed. (and fill rapidly diminishing police coffers at the same time).

-Richard Kuipers

Sammamish

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