Cell phone enforcement starts Monday

Local authorities will be ramping up efforts to reduce the number of distracted drivers in the area though an enforcement campaign starting next week.

Taking place between May 20 and June 2, officers with the Centralia, Morton, Toledo and Winlock Police Departments, the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and the Washington State Patrol will be on the lookout for distracted drivers who are texting, talking on their cell phones, fiddling with a GPS or any other activity that may take a driver’s focus away from the road. This effort is mean to mirror the “Click It or Ticket” campaign, according to authorities, who sated such efforts were able to increase the use of seatbelts by motorists from 82 percent in 2002 to 97 percent today.

Last year during this time period, 1,059 cell phone violations were written, up dramatically from 63 in 2010 when cell while driving use became illegal.

These and all extra patrols are part of Target Zero—striving to end traffic deaths and serious injuries in Washington by 2030. For more information, visit www.targetzero.com. Additional information on the Washington Traffic Safety Commission can be found on the website, www.wtsc.wa.gov.