Cell-phone ban a hang-up for D.C. drivers; Citations continue to rise despite enforcement.(PAGE ONE)

Byline: Gary Emerling, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

The number of tickets issued by the Metropolitan Police Department to drivers using hand-held cell phones has increased for the third straight year, according to the agency.

"Obviously the enforcement is stronger, but it's also obvious that people aren't abiding by the law. And they should," said D.C. Council member Carol Schwartz, at-large Republican who co-sponsored the law in 2004.

Through October, officers issued 9,484 tickets this year to motorists driving with a cell phone in their hand, according to police statistics.

The number of citations already issued this year is 13 percent more than …