The use of handheld cellphones while driving was unilaterally banned by a new law that went into effect statewide on Jan. 1 and voted on by the Oregon House of Representatives.
This law is an update on a previous ban, which allowed drivers to use cell phones for “business purposes” only. Many police found this law difficult to enforce, because people claimed they were talking and driving as part of their job.
The new law, House Bill 3186@@http://gov.oregonlive.com/bill/2011/HB3186/@@ “removes the exception for person operating motor vehicle in scope of person’s employment from offense of operating motor vehicle while using a mobile communication device.”
The new law allows only emergency responders and roadside assistance workers to use hand-held cellphones. Driving while talking on a hands-free device is still legal.
Simon Blatz, owner of Precision Lockout Service and founder of Blue Dog Mead @@http://www.linkedin.com/pub/simon-blatz/1a/abb/862@@, said he uses his cellphone every day, mainly for business purposes while driving, and has not been pulled over for it. To make driving safer, Blatz said he usually puts his phone on speakerphone and sets it down in his car to keep his hands free.
“Changing my phone habits while driving is not a top priority,” Blatz said. “Operating my two companies is the most important thing. I may try to buy a Bluetooth speakerphone if I can.”
In addition to changing the cellphone law, legislature passed a bill to reduce fines for many traffic violations and gave judges greater flexibility to further lower fines in court.
Some lawmakers thought police might be more likely to write a ticket if the fine was considered more reasonable. The number of citations issued dropped in 2011, which also inspired this bill.
University junior McKenna Dempsey@@http://directory.uoregon.edu/telecom/directory.jsp?p=findpeople%2Ffind_results&m=student&d=person&b=name&s=McKenna+Dempsey@@ has received multiple speeding tickets. She was cited three times for speeding and once for talking on the phone while driving and estimates that she has paid the state $800 to $1,000 to the state for these violations.
“I chose to not fight to get the tickets in court because I had no excuse,” Dempsey said. “I was doing the wrong thing, so I felt like the tickets were deserved. I did fight to lower the fees though.”
Dempsey thinks lowering the fines of speeding tickets would be beneficial for the state revenue in the long run.
“If the problem is that people aren’t paying because they fight them in court, maybe they will be more willing to pay lower fines,” Dempsey said. “Then they would be getting more money, so that would overall benefit the state.”