Washington lawmaker apologizes for driving while in virtual transportation meeting

A Washington state senator apologized for driving distracted — a violation of traffic laws — while attending a virtual committee meeting on the state’s transportation funding proposal this week.

Sen. Rebecca Saldana, a Democrat from Seattle who serves as vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, joined Tuesday’s meeting while driving to Olympia, The Seattle Times reported.

“I’m driving my old vehicle right now and a lot of Washingtonians, you know, have to drive farther from rural communities or if they’re low income, they may deal with their gas vehicle for a long time,” Saldana said while answering questions about the state’s proposal to transition toward green transportation, a video from TVW shows.

The work session’s purpose was to discuss the committee chair’s updated 2021 transportation funding proposal Forward Washington, “a comprehensive 16-year transportation plan linked to climate progress,” the initiative’s website says.

Saldana is seen in the video wearing earphones and occasionally looking down at her phone while speaking during the meeting. Washington’s legislature passed a law prohibiting distracted driving in 2017, which forbade “watching video on a personal electronic device,” The Times reported.

It’s illegal to drive “while wearing any headset or earphones connected to any electronic device,” according to Washington state law.

Drivers are allowed to make hands-free phone calls in Washington, according to the Traffic Safety Commission. It is also permissible to use a phone while parked or out of the flow of traffic, the organization said.

“As a working mom, I face the same struggles many parents in Washington are facing, including trying to make my work schedule fit with my duties as a parent,” Saldana said in a statement emailed to McClatchy News. “Unfortunately I made a choice that was not in compliance with the law and for that I apologize.”

Saldana said she “made the wrong choice in not disabling the automatic video function on my phone while driving.”

“I have supported legislation about penalties for distracted driving, and like all drivers in Washington state, I must be subject and accountable to that law and all traffic laws,” she told McClatchy. “Accordingly, if I receive a citation for this driving infraction, I will pay the fine.”

The standard fine for a first-time distracted driving citation is $136, according to Washington State Patrol.