Crime & Safety
Temecula Police to Crackdown on Distracted Drivers
The crackdown—which is a part of April's Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign—will cite drivers a minimum of $159 for using their cell phones.
The Temecula Police Department announced Thursday that it will actively ticket those texting or operating their hand-held cell phones during the month of April.
The crackdown—which is a part of April's Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign—will cite drivers a minimum of $159. More than 225 local agencies plus the CHP are participating in the effort.
Last April, over 57,000 tickets were written statewide for texting and hand-held cell use. There were nearly 450,000 convictions in 2012.
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Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. Younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes, according to the department.
Studies show that texting while driving can delay a driver's reaction time just as severely as having a blood alcohol content of a legally drunk driver. An estimated 3,331 people died in 2011 because of distracted drivers, according to the department.
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To avoid a distracted driving ticket or crash, the Temecula Police Department offers drivers the following tips:
- Turn off your phone and/or put it out of reach while driving
- Include in your outgoing message that you can't answer while you are driving
- Don't call or text anyone at a time when you think they may be driving
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