Santa Clarita commuters saw relief from daily traffic Monday as spring break began for local schools.

This week, a majority of Santa Clarita schools are participating in spring break. From Monday through Friday, students will be out of class at the following school districts:

• Castaic Union School District
• Newhall School District
• Saugus Union School District
• Sulphur Springs School District
• William S. Hart Union High School District

Both CalArts and College of the Canyons will also be out of class from Monday through Friday, according to district officials.

SCVi is set to take a break from April 15 through 19, while schools in the Acton/Agua Dulce Unified School District are expected to take a break from April 22 through 26.

For drivers in Santa Clarita rush-hour traffic, spring break week has generally lighter traffic, followed by potentially heavy traffic the following Monday and Tuesday as drivers get accustomed to the school-day routine, according to officials.

Because of this, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is set to be joining law enforcement agencies across California this month, Distracted Driving Awareness Month, in an effort to stop drivers who violate the state’s laws, specifically the hands-free cell phone law, according to Sheriff’s officials.

“Cell phones remain one of the top distractions for drivers,” said Sgt. Robert Hill with the LASD. “Like any bad habit, it can be hard to break, but this habit can have life-altering consequences.”

Throughout the month of April, the Sheriff’s Department is planning to have additional deputies on patrol looking for drivers on their phones, according to officials.

“That text or phone call will never be worth losing a life over,” Hill said. “That is why curbing distracted driving is high on our priority list.”

For more information about Distracted Driving Awareness Month, click here.

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