Over the years, distracted driving has grown to be a huge traffic safety concern not only in the state, but also across the entire country. Apparently, there is indeed a strong need to exert more efforts to put an end to it, agreed a Los Angeles car accident attorney.
Consequently, the CHP kicked off the Distracted Driving Awareness Month by curbing drivers who are violating California’s distracted driving laws. Law enforcements are keeping an eagle-eye for distracted drivers who wrap their one hand on the wheel while the other is holding a cell phone. In fact, at least 255 local agencies are joining this zero-tolerance effort.
Tickets issued on violators don’t come cheap, as said by a spokesperson from the San Jose police. For the first offense, a driver will be given a fine of $159.00, which would rise to at least $279.00 for the following offenses. With these fines, officials are suggesting that motorists should turn off their cell phones or put it out of reach when driving. Also, drivers can leave a message via voicemail, saying that phone won’t be answered when driving.
Last year, the same effort was made by state regulators to mark the Distracted Driving Awareness Month, with more than 57,000 tickets issued to traffic violators across the state. Also, during the last Super Bowl event, several agencies dispatched DUI patrols across the state to go after drunk drivers.
Based on statistics, drivers who are using cell phones are four times more likely to get into a car accident and get injured than someone who is not. By spreading awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, law enforcements believe that they could somehow reduce the number of injuries and fatalities brought by such driving behavior.
