03/31/2017
The Salinas Police Department is calling April the National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. In California, the Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), the SPD, CHP, other local law enforcement and community partners will work together to make our roads safer by highlighting the dangers of being distracted while driving, especially when using cell phones. Rhonda Craft, director of the OTS says "take care of calling, texting, setting your GPS and everything else before you hit the street."
Lawmakers agree that distracted driving is a growing problem. . AB 1785 went into effect on January 1, requiring all drivers in California to keep their cell phone out of their hands while operating a motor vehicle. Under the new law, a driver may activate or deactivate a feature or function of the cell phone or wireless communication device by swiping or tapping its screen only if it is properly mounted or not being held in a driver's hand. Specific information on the new law can be found at www.ots.ca.gov.
The OTS will begin a public awareness campaign throughout the state in April emphasizing how the new law makes virtually all hand-held cell phone activity illegal – talking, texting, and even using apps. The campaign aims to end distracted driving through education and raise awareness about the associated dangers. The goal is to change motorist habits and save lives, not just in the month of April, but year-round.
The NHTSA reports 3,477 people were killed and about 391,000 injured in vehicle collisions involving distracted drivers in 2015. That’s a 9 percent increase in fatalities as compared to the previous year. SPD will join other LEO’s throughout the state to provide educational experiences as well as zero tolerance enforcement efforts to discourage distracted driving. Officers will place a special emphasis this month on enforcing all cell phone and distracted driving laws. The goal is to gain voluntary compliance by drivers, but sometimes citations are necessary for motorists to better understand the importance of driving distraction free.
This month SPD will be deploying extra traffic officers with grant-funded resources on several dates in city locations with the highest numbers of traffic collisions. Violators will be stopped and cited, with fines set at $162 for first time offenders. This campaign is funded by a grant from the California OTS, through the NHTSA.
