Home » Santa Clarita News » Community News » Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Set To Crack Down On Distracted Driving This Month
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

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Set To Crack Down On Distracted Driving This Month

During the month of April, Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is encouraging Santa Clarita residents to “silence” the distractions.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is set to be joining law enforcement agencies statewide in an effort to stop drivers who violate California’s 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 specifically for drivers on their phones, according to officials.

Last year, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department issued 15,042 citations to drivers texting, calling or performing another function on their phone.

In 2017, 66 people were killed and more than 6,500 people were injured from distracted driving-related crashes, according to preliminary data from the California Highway Patrol.

A 2018 observational survey by the California Office of Traffic Safety on driver cell phone use found about 4.5 percent of drivers are still using their cell phone illegally, a nearly 27 percent increase from 2016, 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.”

Under the most recent 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 their phone in a hands-free manner, according to officials.  

The phones must be mounted on the dashboard or center console and can only be touched once with the swipe or tap of a finger to activate or deactivate a function, officials said.

First-time offenders face a $162 fine, according to officials.

Officials encourage those who need to make a call or text someone to pull over and park at a safe location.

For Santa Clarita drivers who struggle to stay off their phones while driving, Sheriff’s officials suggest placing phones in a place that can’t be reached, like the backseat or trunk.

Funding for distracted driving enforcement operations are provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.


Sponsored Articles


Do you have a news tip? Call us at (661) 298-1220, or send an email to newstip@hometownstation.com. Don’t miss a thing. Get breaking KHTS Santa Clarita News Alerts delivered right to your inbox. Report a typo or error, email Corrections@hometownstation.com

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

KHTS FM 98.1 & AM 1220 - Santa Clarita News - Santa Clarita Radio

Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Set To Crack Down On Distracted Driving This Month

One comment

  1. I am so happy about the enforcement . Way! to many people still using there cell phone and driving I have had a lot of close calls because of someone on there phone not paying attention to the road. And have seen then texting ( crazy ). And mostly all cars now a days have phone pairing so you don’t have to use hands on your cell phone. I think a lot of people don’t know how to set them up , it would be great to offer this service maybe that will help , and maybe we will see less people using there cell phone and driving

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Louie Diaz

Louie was born and raised in Santa Clarita. At the age of two Louie lost his vision due to a brain tumor. However, Louie doesn't let blindness stop him from doing what ever it is he wants to accomplish. Growing up some of his favorite hobbies were wood working, fishing and riding bikes. Louie graduated from College of the Canyon in December of 2017, with a Broadcast Journalism degree. Growing up Louie has always wanted to be a fire fighter or a police officer, but because of his blindness Louie knew that wouldn't work. Louie has always loved listening to police and fire radio traffic, using a scanner, and he figured if he was going to listen to the scanner so much, he should do something with it.