With April designated as Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the Gilroy Police Department is urging motorists to “silence the distraction” for traffic safety.
Throughout the month of April, local police will join departments from all over the state in cracking down on drivers who violate California’s hands-free cell phone law. Gilroy Police will have additional officers on patrol, looking specifically for drivers on their phones, throughout the month, according to a press release.
In 2018, Gilroy police wrote more than 1,000 citations to drivers who were texting, calling or performing another task on their mobile phones, police said.
According to data from the California Highway Patrol, in 2017 66 people died and more than 6,500 were injured statewide in distracted driving related crashes.
Under the updated cell phone law that went into effect in 2017, drivers are prohibited from having a phone in their hand for any reason, and can only use the phone in a hands-free manner, police said. The phones must be mounted on the dashboard, windshield or center console, and can only be touched one time with the swipe or tap of a finger to activate or deactivate a function. First-time offenders of this law face a fine up to $162.
“If you need to make a call or text someone, pull over and park at a safe location,” reads the press release. “Struggling to stay off the phone while driving? Put your phone in a place you can’t reach, like the backseat or trunk.”
Funding for the local distracted driving enforcement operation is provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
