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Santa Clarita residents are being encouraged to not use their cellphones while driving and the CHP has launched a major effort to crack down on distracted driving

Sheriff’s Department Challenges Motorists To ‘Put Your Phone Down. Just Drive!’

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department joined the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and law enforcement throughout the state to observe April as “Distracted Driving Awareness Month.”


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The partnership launched a campaign this month to increase driver cooperation when driving, challenging them to, “Put Your Phone Down. Just Drive!”

LASD officials recently reached out to Los Angeles motorists through a post on social media promoting this month’s campaign.

Traffic officers have issued hundreds of thousands of citations over the past three years to those texting or calling on a hand-held cell phone; however, drivers often remain undeterred from using their phones while driving, according to LASD officials.

Since 2011, OTS officials have conducted an observational study of drivers using handheld cell phones every year, and have found distracted driving remains a serious safety challenge in California.

Preliminary 2017 data revealed that nearly 22,000 drivers were involved in distracted driving collisions in California, a decline from the more than 33,000 drivers involved in distracted driving collisions in 2007, the last full year before the hands-free law went into effect.

Rhonda Craft, director at OTS, gave some strategies that will be deployed to support the Distracted Driving Awareness campaign for the month of April:

“This year’s study on the use of handheld cell phones and texting shows a decrease over past years; however, more work needs to be done to target those who were observed to still be breaking the law,” said Craft. “The best way to put an end to distracted driving is to educate all Californians about the danger it poses. We will do this through enforcement and education efforts like our new advertising campaign ‘Just Drive,’ reminding drivers to put down their phones and focus on the road.”

April 5 and 13 have been designated as the two statewide enforcement dates when law enforcement agencies will step up distracted driving enforcement activities, according to the OTS.

Young drivers will kick off the month-long campaign during the “Californian Teens Safe Driving Week,” giving focus to education and enforcement efforts statewide.

The California Department of Transportation will put distracted driving messages on the changeable message signs on freeways during April.

LASD officials were recently granted funds from OTS and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to deploy extra traffic deputies throughout the month in city locations with higher numbers of traffic collisions.

Joe Simitian, former California senator who authored the state’s hands-free and no-texting law, described his motivation behind the hands-free law:

“California’s distracted driving laws have been saving lives for a decade now,” said Simitian. “Every day, somewhere in California, someone is sitting down to dinner with their family who wouldn’t have made it through the day without these laws on the books. That’s tremendously gratifying.”

Violators cited this month will incur fines set at $162 for first time offenders. This campaign is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Sergeant Hill with the LASD reminded drivers how dangerous a quick social media check while driving can be.

“Smart phones are part of everyone’s lives now. Texting, phone calls and posting on social media are nearly addicting,” said Hill. “But doing these things can have deadly consequences while driving on our city’s street. Changing these dangerous habits will help make our roads safer for everyone.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has the following safety tips:

If you receive a text message or need to send one, pull over and park your car in a safe location, but “never” on a freeway. Once you are safely off the road, it is safe to text.

Designate your passenger as your “designated texter.” Allow them access to your phone to respond to calls or messages.

Do not engage in social media scrolling or messaging while driving.

Cell phone use can be habit-forming. Struggling to not text and drive? Put the cell phone in the trunk or back seat of your vehicle until you arrive at your final destination.

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Sheriff’s Department Challenges Motorists To ‘Put Your Phone Down. Just Drive!’

About Gilbert Bernal

Gilbert A. Bernal Jr. has been part of the KHTS video department since Jan 2017. He was hired as video editor in June 2017 after his four-month internship in the video department. While serving as a video intern, his duties were extended to become a multimedia journalist, producing news videos for KHTS News and Features. Gilbert was added to the KHTS team as part of the station’s continued growth and expansion. An Army veteran, father and local artist Gilbert has dedicated time and energy to volunteering at schools in the Santa Clarita Valley. At Pinetree Community Elementary School, in Canyon Country, Gilbert donated art for school auctions, photographed events and painted murals. At Canyon High, he gave two art demonstrations for the “Yes I Can” organization, a peer counseling class that focuses on learning about disabilities, social inclusion, and tolerance. Starting in Feb 2017 Gilbert launched the “KHTS Man On the Street” video features which gather and reports local opinion of Santa Clarita residents on current issues or events. A return student at College of the Canyons since 2014, Gilbert has been apart of the Media Entertainment Arts department working as a college assistant. After enrolling into the film program in 2014, he was hired to work in the camera equipment room (The Cage). There he helps students with film equipment rentals and technical advice. Gilbert received his associates degree in Film Production from College of the Canyons in 2017. He is continuing his educational path and plans to attend CSUN in Fall 2018 to work for a Bachelor's degree in Film.