District of Columbia police have ticketed more than 20,000 motorists at $100 apiece for driving while chatting on their cell phones even though the city does a poor job of notifying drivers it is a violation, according to a report released Thursday by the city’s police accountability agency.
While ignorance of the law is generally not a valid excuse, the District has not held up its end of the bargain by properly informing the public, the Police Complaints Board said.
The board received complaints by ticketed drivers who were not aware of the law and its hefty fine. It also heard from citizens who complained that police officers routinely ignored drivers with mobile phones cradled to the ears and by residents who witnessed police officers talking on their own cell phones while driving.
The result: The public is less safe and left with a negative impression of the nation’s capital, the report said.
“It is plain for everyone to see that there is massive noncompliance with the law in Washington,” according to the report. “Many drivers are no doubt emboldened to ignore the restrictions … thereby endangering other motorists and pedestrians.”
Of the 20,492 drivers cited since the law was enacted in 2004, 68 percent of the motorists lived outside the District, the vast majority in Maryland and Virginia, states that allow cell phone use. More than 8,600 violators were from Maryland, 3,893 were from Virginia, and about 1,400 came from other states. District police spokeswoman Traci Hughes said that Chief Cathy Lanier takes the report seriously and has on more than one occasion notified an officer’s commander after witnessing an officer driving and talking on a cell phone. The police department and the District Department of Transportation are planning to launch a campaign to inform motorists and pedestrians.
The report recommended that the District place signs at major roads into the District and use electronic displays to remind drivers of the law. The city should also provide information to mobile phone retailers, rental car companies, hotels and visitor centers and provide training to police officers on enforcing and complying with the law.
