The past weeks have seen police officers in the Sacramento area cracking down on those persons who insist on using their cellphones at the wheel. But distracted drivers mustn’t think that that operation’s close means they can suddenly pick up their phones and start being distracted anew. The month of April will see not just northern California police, but officers across the state partnering to squelch distracted driving.
The operation has turned into a yearly event. In 2012, 61,000 offenders were cited in April alone for either texting or talking on their cellphones at the wheel, which is 9,000 more than the number of citations issued the year prior. A sheriff with Alameda County figures that there will be even more citations issued this April.
Such tickets aren’t exactly cheap for the driver. Offenders can expect to $159 if they get caught texting or talking on a phone while driving, and a proposal currently being considered would raise that number slightly higher. The aforementioned sheriff, though, believes that to really dissuade drivers, a citation should run $500.
More than 425,000 cellphone usage citations were issued throughout the entirety of last year in California, but the state’s Office of Traffic Safety’s spokesman worries that the number will move toward 500,000 this year.
Do your part to help out officers and protect our roads: refrain from cellphone usage until you reach your destination.