The Washington Department of Licensing says an oversight in updating a state traffic offense rulebook could cost it as much as $400,000 statewide.
The department says that about 3,000 traffic citations issued by cities that reference the Licensing Department’s rule book for writing tickets may be invalid, and the agency says it will reimburse local governments for refunds on those tickets.
The affected tickets include some off-road vehicle violations and citations for using a cell phone while driving that were issued between June 10 and July 1. The state ban on texting or talking without a handsfree device while driving became a primary offense on June 10, and has been fully enforceable since July 1.
The issue doesn’t affect tickets issued by the State Patrol, other state police agencies or Seattle police. (AP)
