Approximately three dozen citations were issued by Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station deputies as part of a distracted driving enforcement operation Tuesday.
Of the citations issued, more than 20 were for violating the state’s hands-free cellphone law, which makes it illegal for people to hold their phones while driving, whether talking, texting or using an app.
“Distracted driving is a serious issue, but one that can be easily solved simply by putting the phone down,” Sgt. Robert Hill of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department said in a prepared statement. “That text, phone call, email or social media post can wait.”
Other distractions include eating, grooming, talking to passengers, using GPS, adjusting the radio, taking off a jacket, reaching for an object on the floor or navigating a vehicle’s in-dash touchscreen.
Distracted driving is dangerous, claiming the lives of 2,841 Americans and causing an estimated 400,000 crashes in 2018 alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
A AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety study found that taking your eyes off the road for just two seconds doubles your chances of being involved in a crash, while just five seconds of reading an email is like driving the entire length of a football field blindfolded.
