Last updated April 12, 2019
The laws against using new or old cell phones while driving a motor vehicle are being cracked down on by police in Portland, Oregon as of this Tuesday. Drivers who have used cell phones while operating a motor vehicle are being seen as one of the three biggest problems on the road, the other two being speeding and drivers who run red lights. In the area, 20 per cent of all crashes that resulted in injury in 2009 were attributed to drivers who were distracted by their cell phone while behind the wheel. Despite it having now been illegal in the state of Oregon for the last year and a half, the problem still persists, according to police and other motorists.
“Our studies and studies done by other organizations have shown that if you’re texting while driving, it can actually impact your driving more than if you’re driving impaired under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” claims Marie Dodds from AAA in Oregon. Dodds notes that those who do it do so either because they believe they are more skilled than other motorists are or simply because they will not get caught.
The summer safety campaign, which kicked off yesterday, is about education, according to the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s Dan Anderson. “We’re going to get the word out,” he says. “It’s not about writing tickets. This is about educating the public.”