17 cited during Perris “Distracted Driving” awareness campaign

Perris – Distracted driving is such an important safety issue that in California, Police, Sheriff and CHP officials are joining the Office of Traffic Safety, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board, as well as law enforcement throughout the country, working together to focus on education as well as enforcement.

“As we rely on our cell phones more and more in our everyday lives, we seem to be kidding ourselves in thinking that they don’t affect our driving,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft. “Crashes are up. The scientific evidence is solid. The dangers are real, and they apply to all of us. We need to silence the distractions.”

NHTSA is trying to get out the message, “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” OTS will produce public service announcements and conduct a social media campaign urging drivers to “Silence the Distraction.”

“The Perris Police Department believes distracted driving is a safety issue year round,” Riverside Sheriff’s Sergeant J.P. Strang wrote in a press release. “On Thursday, Sept. 1, two officers from the Perris Police Department conducted distracted driver enforcement within the city of Perris.”

The following is the result of their efforts.

• 17 drivers were cited for cell phone operation while driving
• 1 of those drivers was unlicensed
• 1 of those drivers was driving while his/her license was suspended
• 2 vehicles were towed

Despite the deputies efforts, distracted driving continues to be a problem, especially with the increase in the use of Smartphones. Conservative statistics show California had at least 84 fatal distracted driving collisions in 2013, 85 in 2014 and 67 in 2015, with the actual number of cases likely higher.

Although the number of fatalities linked to distracted driving has shown a decrease, the number of injury collisions for the same three-year period shows an increase, with 10,078 documented in 2013; 10,463 in 2014, and 11,023 in 2015.

NHTSA data for 2014 show nationwide, 3,179 people died in distracted driving collisions, which is 10 percent of all crash fatalities. An additional 431,000 people, or 18 percent, were injured in motor vehicle collisions involving distracted drivers.

The problem of distracted driving is significant, and no surprise to driver’s day in and day out. The Department Of Transportation notes that at any given moment, during daylight hours, more than 660,000 vehicles are being driven by someone using a hand-held cellphone.

WHAT IS DISTRACTED DRIVING?

Distracted driving is any activity that could divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. All distractions endanger driver, passenger, and bystander safety. These types of distractions include:

• Texting
• Using a cellphone or smartphone
• Eating and drinking
• Talking to passengers
• Grooming
• Reading, including maps
• Using a navigation system
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio, CD player, or MP3 player

Because text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, it is by far the most alarming distraction.

The California Office of Traffic Safety, Police, Sheriff and the CHP reminds everyone that best way to end distracted driving is to educate all Americans about the danger it poses.

 

Contact the writer: [email protected]