We’re beginning to get a sense of how successful this month’s distracted driving crackdown has been. The Santa Cruz chapter of the California Highway Patrol has announced the results of its efforts over the first nine days of the enforcement campaign, and when you extrapolate the figures outward to take into account the tickets issued by the many other entities going after distracted drivers, it’s clear that distraction will not be tolerated anywhere in the state.
Since the beginning of April, 200 tickets have been handed out by the CHP as of yesterday. And lest you think that number is rather low, a spokesperson explained that the number is much larger than what the CHP would typically encounter over a week and a half. The higher numbers come without the CHP increasing patrols, but instead taking a zero-tolerance approach to those caught texting or talking at the wheel.
Time will tell if other law enforcement entities are having similar success. Last year, 57,000 citations were issued across the state, a number that contributed to the nearly half a million tickets handed out throughout the entirety of last year. One would hope that drivers are beginning to get the message that distracted driving is not acceptable.
All of this is being done as part of a campaign called “It’s Not Worth It.” Those that run afoul of the law can expect to pay a fine of $159, but that number increases dramatically if an offender is caught for a second time.