I have been driving Highway 101 for almost 40 years and have recently observed a lot of drivers using their cell phones while driving, with no concern for others. They must know it is against the law.

This spiked my concerns enough that I requested, through a ‘public records request’, the number of citations that were issued by the Lincoln City Police Department in 2017 for illegal use of cell phone while driving. The report showed that 16 citations were issued for that entire year. This averages out to 1.3 citations per month.

The police department has 26 officers on the streets and a $4 million budget.

What do you think?

The National Safety Council reports that:
. cell phone use while driving leads to 1.6 million crashes each year
. nearly 330,000 injuries occur every year from accidents caused by texting while driving
. 1 out of every 4 car accidents in the U.S. is caused by texting and driving

Jerry Warner

Lincoln City