Wilsonville Spokesman Online

Local drivers seem to be getting the cell phone 'message'

How well have drivers been adhering to the new law? We turned to local police for some answers

• By: Michelle Te  
• Published: 1/12/2010 3:43:22 PM

Got Bluetooth?

Wilsonville drivers, it would seem, have been following the rules after an Oregon law took effect Jan. 1, banning hand-held cell phones and texting while driving.

“Our number of citations is down dramatically,” said Clackamas County Sheriff’s Lt. Nick Watt. “We’ve given out very few citations.”

Before the law took effect, police noticed many drivers holding, and talking on, their cell phones while driving. Perhaps it’s the fear of getting caught, but police said it seems most people are adhering to the law.

“I can tell you from my driving experience that the number of people using cell phones in Wilsonville while driving has gone way down,” said Sgt. Sean Collinson of the Wilsonville department. “I have seen this while driving my police vehicle and my personal vehicle in town. So from that, I believe that people are taking it seriously.”

Since Jan. 1, Wilsonville police have written approximately 20 tickets for people talking/using their cell phones while driving, he said.

In addition, they’ve given about five warnings.

“The majority of the tickets come with the option of a ‘fix it’ ticket in which the deputy tells the drivers that if they purchase a Bluetooth headset for their phone and bring it to court, the citation, minus the court fee, will be dismissed,” Collinson said. “For at least one deputy, it is his way of insuring that people are getting the devices which will, in turn, lead to safe drivers on the roadway.”

While local deputies could choose not to ticket drivers simply for using their hand-held cell phones, they know that a person with a divided attention can have difficulty performing both tasks as well as they should.

“What this means is that they may have difficulty adhering to the hundreds of other traffic laws, such as using turn signals, not following too closely, speeding or even careless or reckless driving,” he said.

For Collinson, the new law couldn’t have come soon enough. His own personal experience demonstrated the need to drivers to pay attention to the road.

On one occasion, he was patrolling on Arndt Road in Canby and saw a vehicle coming from the opposing direction. The vehicle crossed over the center lane and forced the sergeant off the roadway.
Collinson quickly turned around and caught up with the offending vehicle.

“When I pulled him over I explained my reason for stopping him and also that we were both lucky I was paying attention because he nearly caused a head-on collision,” he said. “He apologized and told me that he had been talking on his cell phone and dropped it. When he bent down to pick it up he swerved over into my lane.”

After hearing the driver’s story, Collinson remembers saying to him, “Was that phone call worth your life or mine?”

Subsequently, the sergeant wrote a citation for careless driving and offered “some stern words” of advice.

“As far as I know he has not contested the ticket,” he said.

 

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