OXNARD DEPARTAMENTO DE POLICÍA

COMUNICADO DE PRENSA

The Oxnard Police Department challenges drivers to ‘silence’ the distraction

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the Oxnard Police Department will be joining law enforcement agencies statewide stopping drivers who violate California’s hands-free cell phone law.

On April 8^ª y abril 18^ª, the Oxnard Police Department will have additional officers on patrol looking specifically for drivers on their phones.

Last year during the national campaign, the Oxnard Police Department issued 377 citations to drivers texting, calling, or performing another function on their phone. Distracted driving is dangerous, especially when it involves a cell phone. According to preliminary data from the California Highway Patrol (CHP), 66 people were killed and more than 6,500 injured in 2017 from distracted driving-related crashes.

La 2018 observational survey by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) on driver cell phone use found about 4.5 percent of drivers are still using their cell phone illegally, uno de los primeros 27 por ciento de aumento de 2016.

Under the most recent cell phone law that went into effect in 2017, drivers are prohibited from using their phone unless in a hands-free manner. The phones must be mounted on the dashboard, windshield, or center console, and can only be touched once with the swipe or tap of a finger to activate or deactivate a function. First-time offenders face a $162 multa.

If you need to make a call or text someone, pull over and park at a safe location. 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 distracted driving enforcement operations are provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, través de la Administración Nacional de Seguridad Vial.

FECHA / TIEMPO DE PREPARACIÓN:  Abril 5, 2019 / 7:30 a.m.