Crime & Safety
April was the Cruelest Month for Texting Drivers
It seems like someone in every other car is texting on Highway 1. CHP cracked down.
Bay City News
Citations issued in April by the California Highway Patrol in
Santa Cruz County to drivers talking or texting with hand-held phones more than doubled over the same month in 2012, the CHP reported.
Between April 1 and April 30, Santa Cruz area CHP officers drew up 1,272 tickets for calling or texting behind the wheel, up from 619 issued last April, according to CHP spokesman Officer Brad Sadek.
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April was "Distracted Driving Awareness Month" and CHP officers in Santa Cruz are trying to educate the public that the agency is taking a zero-tolerance approach to distracted driving, Sadek said.
The fine for distracted driving, or driving while using a wireless
telephone "not configured for hands-free use" or "to send, read or write text communication," is $160, Sadek said.
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Drivers who must use their phones can avoid citations simply by not holding them while driving, Sadek said.
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"As long as the phone is not held in your hand, voice texting is
fine and hands-free phone calling is fine as well," he said.
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