April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the Gilroy Police Department will be actively ticketing drivers who are seen texting or operating hand-held cellphones. The zero-tolerance operation will last for the whole of April and 225 local agencies along with the CHP will be taking part.
The campaign aims to get drivers to understand that whether it’s a ticket or a crash, “It’s Not Worth It.”
According to Gilroy Police Sgt. Kurt Ashley, drivers who break the law will be cited on the spot with no warnings.
“We all know that talking on our cellphones while driving is distracting,” said Sgt. Ashley, “but that doesn’t stop some people from continuing to do it.”
Drivers texting or operating hand-held cellphones in Gilroy during April will incur a fine of $159 the first time they are caught. Subsequent tickets will cost at least $279.
In 2012, over 57,000 tickets were given out statewide for texting and hand-held use.
The statistics that surround distracted driving make for grim reading. Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into serious crashes, and young inexperienced drivers have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. In addition, said Sgt. Ashley, studies show that texting while driving can impair a driver’s reaction time just as severely as having the blood alcohol content of a legally drunk driver.
Gilroy Police Sgt. Pedro Espinoza offered the following tips to avoid a ticket or crash:
-Turn of your phone and/or put it out of reach while driving
-Include in your outgoing message that you can’t answer while driving
-Don’t call or text anyone at a time when you think they may be driving
