Police Along Peninsula Crack Down On Distracted Drivers
SAN MATEO (KCBS) — As more drivers become distracted with their smartphones and other devices, police along the Peninsula will be out in extra force on Tuesday writing up citations to remind them of the dangers not just to themselves, but for everyone else on the road.
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The San Mateo County Police Chiefs and Sheriffs Association is deploying extra traffic officers in Burlingame, Foster City and San Mateo in an attempt to change drivers' behavior through enforcement, public awareness and education—the same as what's been done curbing drunk driving and increasing seatbelt use.
Cpl. Brett Murphy of the Burlingame Police Department told KCBS that it's not just talking with the phone up to your ear, it's talking into the speaker with the phone in your hand, checking email, or posting on social media.
Drivers have many excuses but Murphy pointed out a recent ruling in Fresno negates a common one: GPS use.
"In the Fresno case, a subject was stopped at a red light, they specifically looked at their cellphone for the purpose of using their GPS and a map while they were just stopped at a red light. So a lot of people think as soon as they say that they're using it for GPS, it's not a violation—but it is," he said.
Murphy also said that California Highway Patrol is increasingly investigating drivers' use of cellphones in collisions.
"When an officer arrives at the scene of a collision, they're going to deny using their phone. That's why you see, especially the stuff that's going down in Southern California…the CHP attaining warrants for cellphone records. For example: the Bruce Jenner collision, to make sure people were, or were not, on their cellphone at the time of the crash," he said citing the Pacific Coast Highway crash in Malibu in which one woman was killed.
Murphy said it's not hard to spot people on their phones: they're looking down, they're driving slower than everyone else and are often late on green lights.
It's suggested that people turn off their phones off before driving to eliminate the temptation to check an incoming text or call.
A first time cellphone violation carries a $162 fine.
In 2012, 3,328 people were killed and 421,000 were injured nationwide in crashes involving a distracted driver.
