Officers, organizations fight rise in distracted driving-related crashes

April 11--Extra officers will be out on patrol around Clark County through the first half of April for Distracted Driving Awareness month, according to the Clark County Traffic Safety Task Force.

As part of the "U Text, U Drive, U Pay" campaign, officers will patrol for drivers using cellphones while operating their vehicles. Under current Washington law, it is illegal to text or hold your phone to your ear while driving, and violators face a $136 minimum fine.

The additional enforcement is scheduled now through Sunday.

Other organizations are trying to combat the rising number of distracted driving-related crashes as well.

911 Driving School in Vancouver is hosting a pledge drive through this month to reduce distracted driving.

For every student and community member who signs the driving school's pledge to "Call Back Later," the business will donate $5 to the National Road Safety Foundation, a nonprofit agency that promotes safe driving behavior.

A bill that passed in the state Senate, co-sponsored by Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, would increase penalties for distracted driving. The House has a similar bill.

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, inattention or distraction caused nearly 700 crashes last year statewide, and 139 of those were fatal.

Of the 38 of those crashes in Clark County, six had fatalities.

A state-funded study monitoring hundreds of intersections around the state last year found an estimated 9.2 percent of the thousands of drivers spotted were somehow distracted, and most of them were using a cellphone at the time.

Monitors in Clark County found 7.4 percent of observed drivers were somehow distracted.

According to the Northwest Insurance Council, the average expenditure for an auto insurance policy has climbed to $926, as more drivers are getting in accidents.

The regional insurer trade group also said insurers' costs have jumped 16 percent in the past two years, with increases often felt in customer premiums.

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission said talking on a cellphone while driving triples the risk of a crash, and texting increases the risk by nearly 23 times.

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