Sonora, CA — If you do, you are the target of the CHP especially this month.
Officers will be out in force ticketing motorists for using their cell phone to call or text while driving.
The CHP reports there were more than 26,000 collisions in California in 2009 that were in-part caused by driver distractions. They say 116 people were killed and more than 17,000 were injured in that year, the most recent on record. The month of April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the week of April 7th is California Teen Safe Driving Week.
CHP Officer Nick Norton says one key rule, “Drivers under 18 years old can’t have any contact with a cell phone or texting device. That includes not using hands free devices like Bluetooth or being linked into your car. At that age, under 18 they really just need to be focused on their driving and the fact that they are still learning. It can be nerve racking as a new driver and they really don’t need any other distractions.”
To drive the message home more than 200 CHP officers and other law enforcement officials will be patrolling the roadways looking for anyone breaking the zero-tolerance cell phone laws.
Click here for the state’s mobile phone laws.
