WASH. MAKES IT ILLEGAL TO HOLD PHONE WHILE DRIVING

Drivers in Washington state will have put down their cellphones, under a law that went into effect Sunday. And coffee. And mascara.

The state’s new law to discourage distracted driving closes loopholes against making calls by prohibiting even holding a personal electronic device while stopped in traffic. The law also prohibits eating or applying make-up while driving.

The Governors Highway Safety Association called the law a pioneering effort to combat distracted driving, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said was involved in more than 3,000 deaths in 2014.

“Washington state was first state to pass a texting ban a decade ago, and they are leading the way again with this strengthened law,” said Kara Macek, a spokeswoman for the governors association.

Fourteen states and the District of Columbia ban the use of hand-held phones while driving, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.