The in basket: Barb Coombs e-mailed in early June to say, “A
friend and I were having a discussion after we saw someone driving
and holding the phone away from his ear as he was talking on
it.
“I said that was now illegal and she said, no, it was OK,
since it was not up to his ear and he was on speakerphone.
“I was under the impression that hands-free meant that you
were not using your hands to talk on the phone. She looked it
up in the RCW’s and evidently she is right…..as long as the phone
is not up to your ear, you are legal. That doesn’t make sense
to me at all!”
The out basket: I doubt that there is a definitive answer to
just how far from the ear the phone can be held to make its use
legal, but the law does specify “held to the ear” as the
infraction. Other use of the hands, such as to listen and talk on
speaker phone, is not forbidden.
I would imagine different courts would rule differently should
a citation be appealed for almost having a cell phone
to one’s ear while driving
By happenstance, I came across the following in the June 17
edition of The Week magazine, which got it from CNN.com. Under Tip of the Week, it had this
to say about reducing health impacts from cell phone
radiation:
“Give your phone some space…User manuals typically advise
against direct contact. Holding a cell phone 2 inches from your ear
reduces the radiation “by a factor of four.'”
One more reason not to drive with a cell phone to your
ear.
As to whether the cell phone law makes sense, I’d hate to have
to defend its logic. Dialing a number, which I always have found to
create the greatest peril while driving, is not forbidden.
