CELL PHONES: Get Ready for Fines

In case you've forgotten, the D.C> City Council last year passed a measure that would impose stiff fines for those who are caught driving a car and talking on their cell phone (without a hands-free device). That measure goes into effect July 1.

From The Washington Post:
In the District, police officers will be permitted to pull over motorists they see holding a cell phone to their ear, said Lt. Patrick Burke, the police department's traffic safety coordinator.

Under the law, drivers will be permitted to hold a phone only to make emergency calls, to dial a call or to power the phone on or off. The city will suspend fines for first-time offenders who submit proof that they have acquired a hands-free device, Burke said.

If drivers from other jurisdictions fail to pay their tickets, they could lose their driver's licenses because of reciprocity agreements with Maryland, Virginia and other states, said Anne Witt, director of the D.C. Department of Motor Vehicles.

"City Sends Signal On Cell Phone Use" [The Washington Post]