Last updated April 12, 2019
The fact that the use of new or old cell phones while operating a motor vehicle has been illegal in Oahu for two years now does not seem to be impressing drivers, with police officers issuing around 1000 tickets every month throughout the whole of last year and the first six months of 2011. In actuality, the violations actually seem to be increasing rather than decreasing as time goes by, as in the first six months of the ban only around 320 tickets per month were being handed out.
Oahu was the first county in the state to make it illegal to use a handheld cell phone while operating a motor vehicle, with the other states quickly following suit, yet drivers still do not appear to be getting the message, racking up total fines of around $1.6 million.
“Cell phones aren’t distracting”, claims motorist Graham Williams, who has received the $97 fine for using a cell phone while driving on multiple occasions, yet says he will continue to break the law because he does not believe it is necessary. “It’s the number of drivers out there who lack driving skills that’s distracting.”
Donald L Fisher, a national expert on the topic of distracted driving from the University of Massachusetts, says such attitudes are precisely the issue. “We’ve found that glancing away for more than two seconds presents very dangerous outcomes, and most drivers aren’t aware of the two second rule,” he notes.