Crime & Safety

Hang up and Drive

Danville police are joining a statewide zero-tolerance enforcement period in April for distracted driving caused by cell phone use.

That text or call can wait until you get off the road.

Why?

If you text or call behind the wheel this month without using a hands-free device, it could mean a ticket, or worse.

Find out what's happening in Danvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As part of California’s first Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April, police from 225 local agencies and 103 CHP commands across the state, including in Danville, will be scheduling zero-tolerance enforcement stops for texting or talking. Two laws from the California Vehicle Code outline the rules: People over 18 can use their cell phone to make calls with a headset, those under 18 cannot use their cell phones while driving. Texting or reading information on your phone while driving is not permitted by any driver. Read more about the laws here.

There will be a minimum fine of $159 for a first offense, with subsequent tickets a minimum of $279.

Find out what's happening in Danvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Police say distracted driving is a serious traffic safety concern, joining speeding and alcohol as leading factors in fatal and serious injury crashes. 

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into injury crashes, with younger drivers having the highest proportion of distraction-related crashes, according to a press release from the Danville Police Department. Studies show that texting while driving can delay a driver’s reaction time as severely as having the blood-alcohol content of a legally drunk driver.

“We recognize that convincing drivers to refrain from using cell phones or texting while driving isn’t easy,” said Christopher J. Murphy, director of the California Office of Traffic Safety. “It’s very difficult to resist the urge to check an incoming text or answer a cell phone call.” 

He added, “Convincing California drivers to wear seat belts 20 years ago wasn’t easy either, but in 2010 more than 96 percent buckled up and thousands of lives were saved.”

For more information on distracted driving or enforcement efforts in April, contact Danville Police Sgt. Brad Harms at 925-314-3700 or bharms@danville.ca.gov, CHP Sgt. Trent Cross or officer Mary Ziegenbein at 707-648-4180 or tcross@chp.ca.gov and mziegenbein@chp.ca.gov.


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