How bad is Bellingham’s distracted driving problem? Put your phone down and look.
Well, at least we’re not as distracted as Sammamish, but we’re not as focused as Yakima, either.
In fact, we’re stuck right in the middle — once again living up to the City of Subdued Excitement’s moniker.
Bellingham ranked 13th in a list of the worst cities for distracted driving in Washington state in a study conducted by the Davis Law Group, a Seattle-based injury firm. The study ranked the state’s 24 cities with populations of more than 50,000 based on the percentage of serious or fatal accidents between 2013 and 2017 that involved a distracted driver, according to Washington State Department of Transportation crash data.
In Bellingham, there were eight serious or fatal accidents that involved distracted driving during the five-year window — 8.99 percent of the 89 total serious or fatal accidents within city limits during that same time frame.
Sammamish topped the list for the highest percentage of distracted driving accidents at 30.77 percent (four of 13 accidents), while Yakima was the least distracted at 1.71 percent (two in 117 accidents). Behind Sammamish were No. 2 Lakewood (17.02 percent), Everett (14.54), Bellevue (12.90) and Seattle (12.51).
In 2017, Washington State passed the Driving Under the Influence of Electronics Act, making it illegal to use hand-held cell phones while you are driving, stopped in traffic or at a stop light unless you are attempting to contact emergency services. Hands-free devices, such as Bluetooth, are still allowed, as are single-touch functions.
Tickets for distracted driving cost $136 for the first offense and $234 if you are ticketed a second time in five years. You can also get a $99 ticket for other types of distracted driving, such as grooming, smoking, eating or reading, if the activity interferes with your ability to drive safely.
According to a story Tuesday on mynorthwest.com, the Washington State Patrol stopped 18,503 drivers for distracted driving violations related to electronics between July 23, 2017 — when the state’s distracted driving law took effect — and June 15. Another 1,567 additional drivers were stopped for distracted driving for other other reasons. Not all of the stops resulted in tickets.
“Distracted driving is a serious concern when it comes to traffic safety,” the Washington State Patrol website stated. “As part of our Target Zero goal – which strives to end traffic deaths and serious injuries in Washington by 2030 – troopers are on the lookout for distracted drivers every day.”
In Washington state in 2017, WSDOT recorded 2,455 serious injury or fatal accidents — 287 (11.70 percent) of them involved a suspected distracted driver, though only 20 percent (0.81 percent) were reported to have involved a cell phone.
The Bellingham Police Department with its “Travel With Care” program also is making an effort to reduce distracted driving to make city streets safer for all drivers, bikers and pedestrians and maybe, just maybe, move Bellingham a step or two closer toward Yakima on the lower end of the rankings in Washington.
The campaign is asking Bellingham drivers to:
▪ See what’s happening down the road.
▪ Make eye contact with each other.
▪ Know that whenever two streets intersect it’s a crosswalk.
▪ Realize that phone distraction is as unsafe as alcohol impairment.
▪ Give cyclists at least three feet of space.
▪ Strive for zero crashes between cars, bikes and pedestrians.
Bellingham Police also announced last week that they will have three areas of emphasis to watch for distracted drivers, among other violations, during the month of July at:
▪ Meridian Street between Telegraph Road and East Kellogg Road.
▪ Orleans Street near the Barkley Boulevard-East Sunset Drive area.