Document text
I see that fines for holding your phone and driving will increase July 1; however, there are already penalties for texting and driving, yet we all see people on the roads using their phone. It seems to me that the deterrent is insufficient or enforcement is lax. How many citations are imposed for these offenses? Does the penalty increase for serial offenders? — John K., via email You are correct that fines will increase from $265 to $440 starting Friday for people caught holding a mobile device while driving; however, more than 350 drivers would disagree with you that the law isn’t being enforced. All told, 311 people were cited between Oct. 1 — when the Oregon statute changed — through May 31, according to Jackson County Justice of the Peace Joe Charter , who tries traffic cases for tickets written by the sheriff’s office, Central Point and Talent police. That’s about double the number from a year earlier under the old cellphone law, according to Jackson County Justice Court numbers. There were 159 cellphone violations from October 2016 through May 2017. The new law, effective since Oct. 1, expanded "distracted driving" beyond texting and talking. That means no more Facebooking, playing games or fumbling with Apple Maps while driving. The penalty increases for repeat offenders, according to Charter, with a third violation within 10 years escalating to a Class B misdemeanor and carrying possible jail penalties. Medford police citation numbers were available only through March. Between Oct. 1 and March 31, 44 drivers were cited under the new law, according to Medford police Lt. Justin Ivens. Ivens said “there was a little bit of a grace period” while Medford Municipal Court systems adjusted to the new law the first weeks of October, and drivers were let off with warnings in some following weeks. Ivens said stricter enforcement ramped up by the start of the new year. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; by fax to 541-776-4376; or by email to [email protected] . We’re sorry, but the volume of questions received prevents us from answering all of them.