State Lawmakers Target Distracted Driving With Bill

OLYMPIA (AP) — Democratic Rep. Jessyn Farrell and Republican Sen. Ann Rivers are working together to make roads safer by proposing new legislation that would ban the use of handheld devices while driving.

The bill increases the fine for distracted driving, and would double it for repeat offenders. It would also add an additional moving violation, which gets reported to courts and insurance companies. Offenders could wind up with a citation on their driving record and could potentially face increased insurance rates.

Farrell's measure is House Bill 1371. Rivers' bill is awaiting introduction in the Senate. Rivers sponsored similar legislation in 2015 that passed the Senate but stalled in the House.