I was stopped at a stop sign in Bothell recently when I noticed the person across from me was on their cell phone. It was her turn and everyone was waiting for her to move, but she was probably too busy telling her friend her favorite spaghetti recipe to notice.

I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m shocked by the number of people who continue to consciously break the law and use their handheld cell phones. I’ve seen them chatting away while driving down the freeway, trying to navigate through busy parking lots and on residential streets where they think no one will notice. And what really gets me is the driver who holds the phone on speaker a few inches from their face and acts like they’re not doing anything wrong.

The law that went into effect June 10 of 2010 makes using a handheld cellular device while operating a vehicle a primary traffic offense. You don’t have to be doing anything else wrong. It doesn’t matter if the call is important, it means it’s illegal for everyone.

I conducted a little experiment on a street corner in Bothell to see how many lawbreakers I could find. In 15 minutes, I counted 17 “Chatty Kathys.” Some were holding the phone to their ear, some were holding it to the steering wheel while they were texting. At some point you have to ask yourself not only, “is it illegal?” but “is it smart?”

My mom worked as the traffic safety person at a local elementary school last year. People would drive into the crowded parking lot while talking on their cell phones. While most respectfully complied to get off the phone, some didn’t. One woman rolled down her window and snapped, “I’m on an important business call,” as if your business is more important than the 300 children walking around in that parking lot at three o’clock.

It’s self important and it takes only an ounce of common sense to realize that a busy school parking lot is not the place to be on the phone. Nor is the freeway, a public street or even your own neighborhood. If the call is that important, doesn’t it make sense to pull over to handle it without distraction?

Using a cell phone while driving, hands free or handheld, quadruples your chances of getting in an accident and is equivalent to driving drunk according to many studies by the National Safety Council and others.

Everyone always thinks it’ll happen to the “other guy.” But that’s exactly what the “other guy” thought, too.

The police have their work cut out for them. As long as people continue to disregard the cell-phone law, a regulation made to protect the public, it will not serve its purpose and people will keep getting hurt or killed.

I pull over if I need to answer or make a call. Funny how people twice, or three times my age have the gall to flip the bird to someone who honks at them for talking on the phone. Anyone who has been affected by a cell-phone-related accident could tell you, the phone call can wait.

Hillary Sanders is a recent Inglemoor High graduate.