Violations of distracted driving laws continue to increase despite education

Even with the increase in anti-distracted driving campaigns, abusers of this law are on the rise according to data received during the California Highway Patrol (CHP) Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.

During April, 19,850 citations were issued to drivers who violated California’s hands-free cell phone laws. This is a 3.6 percent increase from April 2018.

In both South Lake Tahoe and Truckee, the increase was much higher. In April 2019, South Lake Tahoe area CHP officers issued 57 cell phone law violation citations, in Truckee, 7. Of the 57 SLT violations, 35 were for texting.

Just a year ago these numbers were less than half, with the South Lake Tahoe CHP office issuing 28 cell phone violations and 3 in Truckee.

In addition to phones, other serious distractions include eating, grooming, applying makeup, reaching for fallen objects, using a vehicle’s touchscreen, knobs, dials or buttons, changing clothes, or any other task that takes the eyes or mind off the road.

In the country, distracted driving kills over 3,000 people a year.

“Citations are just one tool law enforcement has at its disposal for combating driver distraction,” said CHP Commissioner Warren Stanley. “Our ultimate goal is compliance with California’s hands-free law so that nothing diverts a driver’s attention or interferes with their ability to safely operate a vehicle.”

“Drivers on their cell phone are a stubborn problem that will continue to require extensive education about the dangers and enforcement of laws against using cell phones behind the wheel,” California Office of Traffic Safety Director Rhonda Craft said. “It is a bad habit that may be hard for some to break, but is something that far too often leads to tragic consequences.”

Statistics from the month-long event did not break down ages to see which age group is the highest violator of the law.

Seventy-five percent of teen fatal car crashes do not involve drugs or alcohol but everyday behaviors become lethal when a new inexperienced driver chooses to engage in them behind the wheel,” said Impact Teen Drivers (ITD) Executive Director Dr. Kelly Browning.

The distracted driving laws are not new in California and they've been on the books since 2008. The CHP, the OTS, and ITD remind drivers that under the handsfree cell phone law, drivers are not allowed to hold a wireless telephone or electronic communications device while operating a vehicle. Drivers under the age of 18 are not allowed to use a cell phone for any reason, including hands-free.