Sentinel staff report–
Additional officers will be on the streets handing out tickets and educating drivers during the month of April as part of a statewide campaign against distracted driving, the Citrus Heights Police Department said in a news release on Friday.
The department said it issued 1,180 citations to drivers last year for texting, calling or otherwise using their phone — which averages to about three citations issued per day. Police said preliminary data shows 66 people were killed and over 6,500 were injured from distracted-driving related crashes in 2017.
“Cell phones remain one of the top distractions for drivers,” Sgt. Shaun Gualco said in Friday’s news release. “Like any bad habit, it can be hard to break, but this habit can have life-altering consequences.”
Police said a 2018 study by the California Office of Traffic Safety found about 4.5 percent of drivers use their phones while driving, an increase from 2016.
“That text or phone call will never be worth losing a life over,” Gualco said. “That is why curbing distracted driving is high on our priority list.”
Under current law, it is illegal to drive with a phone in hand for any reason. Police said dash or window-mounted phones “can only be touched once with the swipe or tap of a finger to activate or deactivate a function.”
Police advise pulling over and parking at a safe location before making a phone call or texting. For those struggling with staying off their phones, police recommend putting phones in a location out of reach, like the backseat or a trunk.
Police said first-time distracted driving offenders face a $162 fine.
