Some clouds in the morning will give way to mainly sunny skies for the afternoon. Areas of smoke and haze are possible, reducing visibility at times. High near 90F. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph..
A mostly clear sky. Areas of smoke and haze are possible, reducing visibility at times. Low 57F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.
Updated: August 8, 2026 @ 1:30 am
Citations written by Washington state troopers for cell phone violations increased more than five-fold after state legislators changed the violation from a secondary to a primary offense.
June 10 was the one year anniversary of the change. Elevation to primary meant that troopers could pull people over for cell phone violations. Previously, as a secondary offense, troopers could only cite if they observed some other violation first.
"The legislature gave us this law, and our troopers have made good use of it," said State Patrol Chief John R. Batiste. "We believe that distracted driving is a factor in far more collisions that we know about, and we are determined to address that."
In the eleven months ending May 15, 2011, troopers wrote 6850 citations to drivers who held a phone up to their ear. In the final eleven months under the secondary law, only 1344 tickets were written.
Citations for texting also more than doubled, from 225 to 549.
"Texting is much harder for troopers to see and prove," Batiste said. "People really need to voluntarily refrain from this very dangerous behavior."
Troopers are using education as well as enforcement to win driver compliance. In the same eleven-month period, a total of 14,518 drivers were stopped for cell phone violations, and 1244 for texting.
Troopers decide whether to cite or warn based on totality of circumstances, and they typically cite for only about half of all violations they witness.
The fine for a cell phone or texting violation is $124.
Information from the News and our advertisers (Want to add your business to this to this feed?)
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sign up to receive notifications when a new Columbia Gorge News e-Edition is published.
Would you like to receive our news updates? Signup today!
Receive weekly updates on obituaries and death notices.
Oregon Capital Press presented by Columbia Gorge News
Receive updates on upcoming promotions and special sections.
Receive weekly updates on local sports news.
Sorry, there are no recent results for popular videos.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
Commented