Federal Way police chief Brian Wilson apologized this week for a recent fender-bender.

On March 18, Wilson was viewing news headlines on his BlackBerry while waiting at a red light. He let off the brake and rear-ended a vehicle. No one was hurt, and damage was less than $700.

Although talking and texting on cell phones is a secondary offense, police and public officials are exempt. Wilson apologized for violating the exemption.

Wilson’s admission and apology are worthy of appreciation, perhaps because most of us share a similar guilt: Distracted driving. This offense ranges from dialing the wife about dinner to steering with your knees while slathering salsa on a burrito as you merge onto I-5 during rush hour. If you’ve committed these sins of distraction and lived to tell about them, and no one got hurt, then relax. You are forgiven.

As the figurehead for public safety in Federal Way, Wilson came clean on his own terms for committing a human mistake. That generates respect in the public’s eyes and sets an example for the city’s public officials.

The Mirror accepts Wilson’s apology — and encourages the police chief to take a defensive driving class. It’s the right thing to do.