Law enforcement looking for drivers using their phones and other distractions during emphasis patrols this month

Paul Valencia
ClarkCountyToday.com

It is difficult to miss Sean Donaldson’s patrol vehicle.

A large black SUV with emergency lights with “POLICE” painted on the sides.

An officer with the Vancouver Police Department, Donaldson is not trying to be sneaky when he is on patrol. He simply parks that vehicle on the side of the road and waits.

He does not wait very long. 

Usually, all it takes is five, 10, maybe 15 cars to roll past him before he spots a driver on a phone.

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month for law enforcement, particularly those who are working with Target Zero. The Washington state campaign to have zero traffic deaths on Washington’s roads and highways by 2030 is having emphasis patrols throughout Clark County this month, with law enforcement officials from various agencies working together to stop distracted drivers.

In just more than an hour last week in Battle Ground, Donaldson made five stops. Keep in mind, it takes 10 to 15 minutes per stop to assess the situation and write a citation if needed.

Donaldson then circled around near Main Street, parked his vehicle in the same, easy-to-spot location, and found another distracted driver within seconds.

“The five stops I’ve had today. I don’t have to hide anywhere,” Donaldson told this Clark County Today reporter, who was riding with Donaldson during a portion of this patrol. “They are so invested in their phone that they missed the fact there is a fully marked police car right in front of them.”

Donaldson noted that when drivers are speeding, if they see a patrol car up ahead, they slow down. But when drivers are on their phones, they don’t see the police. Clearly, the driver is distracted.

While Donaldson was patrolling one side of Main Street in Battle Ground, Andy Marvitz of the Ridgefield Police Department was on the other side. His lights were flashing as frequently as a hot slot machine, too. He had stopped a half dozen or so in the first 90 minutes of his patrol.

“The biggest thing I hear, and it blows my mind, is when people say it’s a victimless crime,” Marvitz said of distracted drivers. 

Distracted driving, law enforcement officials have been saying for years, can, and has, killed many on the roadways.

“I tell them, ‘If you can’t see my car, the big white car that says Police on the side of it, that tells me you are not paying attention. You’re easily distracted,’” Marvitz said. “If you can’t see this white whale of a car, and I’m not even hiding … that’s usually a good educational moment. No arguing that. You are distracted.”

Distracted driving is a violation of Washington’s Driving Under the Influence of Electronics (E-DUI) law, which states drivers cannot hold cell phones or watch videos while they are driving, stopped in traffic, or at a stop light. 

Donaldson said the ticket for a first violation is $145. A second violation within five years increases the fine to more than $200. 

While there are still a lot of distracted drivers out there, the emphasis patrols, and regular patrols, show some evidence of working. Donaldson said he cannot remember ever giving a distracted driving citation to a person a second time. Maybe those drivers are getting the message, Donaldson said.

Still, by the looks of Thursday’s patrol in Battle Ground, there are a lot of would-be first-time offenders. Again, it took these officers little to no time in finding the next violator.

Another change of behavior that officers are noticing is that usually a driver admits to using the phone. That’s not always the case with a speeding driver, Donaldson said.

So while those first offenders on Thursday did acknowledge their use of the phones, not everyone was happy with Donaldson.

“The first one of the day was mad because she was late in picking up her kids, and I made her even later,” Donaldson said. 

His response: “It’s not my fault you are late.”

Some drivers still claim they did not know it was against the law. That is hard to fathom, Donaldson said.

“I think people know. It’s broadcast on the news. You see commercials. A lot of media. I think folks just don’t care,” Donaldson said. “They are too involved in their phones and in social media that they want to text or send messages … and they don’t understand how dangerous it is to do that while driving.”

It is all about time, distance … math. A distracted driver will have less time to react to a situation. That can turn deadly.

Emphasis patrols on distracted drivers is about prevention. Every traffic stop is its own situation, so some will end up being a warning, while others will lead to citations.

“If I think a warning is going to change a person’s behavior, then a warning might suffice,” Donaldson said. “But if you need to be a little more strict, it usually results in a ticket.”

If a warning or a ticket stops a driver from texting and driving later, that could prevent a collision.

“Same thing with drunk driving,” Donaldson said. “If we can find the drunk driver and take him off the road that night, and they never do it again, our job is done. We kept him safe that one night and if they decided they never want to drink and drive again, that means they are a safer driver and keeps everybody else on the roadway safe.”

Same concept here with distracted driving.

There is another emphasis patrol scheduled for this week in Clark County. And perhaps a few more for the remainder of the month.

Participating local agencies include:

• Battle Ground Police Department
• Ridgefield Police Department
• Clark Regional Emergency Services Agency
• Vancouver Police Department
• Washington State Police