In case you’ve forgotten, or you never knew it in the first place, using a handheld cell phone while driving in the State of Washington becomes a traffic offense on July 1, 2008 - and that includes text messaging. So, if you’re one of those people who is attached to your cell phone with a figurative umbilical cord, it’s time to think about either investing in Bluetooth, or at the very least breaking out the earphone that came with your cellular.

In technical terms the infraction will be a “secondary offense,” meaning that you would need to be stopped for a more serious offense first, e.g., speeding, expired tabs, etc. In practice, it would go something like this: you’re driving through a school zone, while yakking to someone on your cell phone. Being deeply immersed in your conversation, you don’t notice that you’re going five over  - and worse yet, you don’t notice the motorcycle cop with the radar hiding beneath that weeping willow….

You get the message. In such a case you would likely be cited for speeding in a school zone AND cited for using a handheld cellphone while driving. The cell-phone ticket alone would be $124 and the speeding ticket would add insult to injury, depending on how much over the speed limit you were driving.

In short: not loose change. Foldin’ money.

Your best bet if your cell phone rings while you’re driving, and you don’t have a hands-free setup: Pull over or let it roll over to voice mail. Or takes yer chances…and maybe pays yer money.

It will be interesting to see the statistics on how many citations have been issued after a year passes. Not long ago I heard on the radio that in New Jersey, where handheld use while driving is a primary offense, traffic cops have been handing out upwards of 13,000 citations a month.

Some companies specializing in hands-free cellular technology are planning to offer deals, or even giveaways, in anticipation of a sudden “run on Bluetooth” here in Washington State, as the July 1st deadline approaches. Read about it at the Seattle PI.