More than 400 Drivers Cited During Crackdown on Distracted Driving

Did you notice more cops and troopers on the roads last week? If so, you were seeing the result of a countywide enforcement campaign that began April 9 at 6 a.m. and ended April 14 at 6 a.m. 

The Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol recently concluded a crackdown on drivers text messaging or talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device, issuing 438 tickets to adult drivers and four tickets to juveniles.

Several of the drivers that were cited had been previously cited for distracted driving, according to sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Hill.

The four juveniles were cited for violating the state’s zero-tolerance vehicle code, which prohibits drivers under 18 from using a cell phone, even with a hands-free device. According to Hill, four drivers were arrested after first being contacted for distracted driving. The charges the drivers faced were not released.

Deputies and officers observed 514 other drivers violating hands-free laws, but did not contact them due to priority calls, according to Hill.