This bill amends RCW 46.61.672 to make using a personal electronic device while driving on a public highway a traffic infraction, with penalties set by reference to RCW 46.63.110(3). It establishes state preemption over local laws on personal electronic device use while driving, so this section supersedes local ordinances, rules, or regulations on that subject. The bill defines key terms: "driving" (operating a motor vehicle on a public highway, including when temporarily stationary for traffic but not when safely pulled off the roadway), "personal electronic device" (portable devices capable of wireless communication or data retrieval not manufactured primarily for hands-free vehicle use, with examples and certain radio equipment excluded), and "use" (holding the device, composing/sending/reading/accessing electronic data, or watching video, with limited minimal finger use allowed). It lists exceptions for contacting emergency services, transit employees relaying time-sensitive messages with dispatch, commercial motor vehicle drivers if allowed under 49 U.S.C. Sec. 31136 as it existed on July 23, 2017, and operators of authorized emergency vehicles. Penalty and procedural changes: fines are assessed as provided in RCW 46.63.110(3); a second or subsequent offense carries a penalty equal to two times that amount. If the infraction occurs within a school, playground, or crosswalk speed zone created under RCW 46.61.440, the base penalty under RCW 46.63.110(3) is doubled, the total penalty including statutory assessments cannot be waived, reduced, or suspended, and 50 percent of moneys collected under that subsection must be deposited into the school zone safety account. Affected parties include transit systems and employees, commercial motor vehicle drivers subject to the federal allowance, operators of authorized emergency vehicles, and local governments whose regulations are preempted. The text cites amendments to RCW 46.61.672 and references RCW 46.63.110, RCW 46.61.440, and 49 U.S.C. Sec. 31136 (as of July 23, 2017). The extracted facts do not include exact monetary fine amounts, the statutory definition of "authorized emergency vehicle," a citation or definition for the school zone safety account, or other possible sections of the bill such as an effective date or additional enforcement details.

If enacted, most drivers would face state traffic fines for holding or using portable electronic devices while driving, with repeat offenses costing twice as much and violations in designated school, playground, or crosswalk speed zones triggering a doubled base penalty that cannot be waived or reduced. Half of the money collected from those school-zone violations would go into the state’s school zone safety account, so local school-safety projects or whatever that account funds would likely see increased revenue from these citations. Transit employees doing time-sensitive relay with dispatch, commercial drivers only as allowed under federal law as of July 23, 2017, and operators of authorized emergency vehicles would be exempted in specified ways, and local governments would no longer be able to set different rules on this subject. The exact fine amounts, the definition of “authorized emergency vehicle,” and details about the school zone safety account aren’t included here, so how much revenue and how enforcement will be carried out in practice are unclear.