San Gabriel police to focus on distracted driving enforcement in April

April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and San Gabriel Police Department officers will intensify their focus on drivers who violate the state’s hands-free mobile phone law, the SGPD announced Monday.

“Holding your phone and using it while driving is not only dangerous, but also illegal,” Nicholas Hamel, a San Gabriel police traffic investigator, said in a statement. “Before starting the car, silence your phone or put it in the glove box, trunk or back seat. Anywhere you can’t reach.”

According to last year’s California Statewide Public Opinion Survey, nearly 72% of drivers surveyed said distracted driving that results from texting was their most significant safety concern. 

In 2021 the California Highway Patrol issued nearly 56,000 citations for distracted driving, the SGPD reported.

Current law prohibits drivers from holding a phone or electronic communication device while operating a motor vehicle, according to the SGPD. Specifically, banned phone activities include talking, texting or using an app. 

If a motorist is caught using a handheld cell phone while driving, the violation is punishable by a fine that starts at $20 but also may include court fees that could boost the cost to over $100, police said. Violating the hands-free law a second time within 36 months of a prior conviction for the same offense will result in a $50 fine plus court fees and a point being added to a driver’s record that will lead to higher insurance premiums.

“If you have an important phone call, text, email, or in a situation with other distractions, pull over to a safe parking spot,” the SGPD advised. “Other distractions can be eating, grooming, reaching for something that fell on the floor, putting on or taking off clothing, talking with passengers, or children in the back seat.”

Funding for the SGPD’s distracted driving enforcement effort comes from a grant via the California Office of Traffic Safety, which is ultimately funded by the federal National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

SGPD Traffic Bureau Sgt. Dan Gosserand cautioned that it “only takes a second to take your eyes off the road and miss a hazard or injure someone or yourself” when using a mobile device while driving.

“When I stop somebody what I often say is, ‘I can tell you where you’re going when texting, you might end up in the hospital,” Gosserand told the San Gabriel Sun. 

“The worst is you have to live with the fact that you hurt someone else” as a result of distracted driving, he added.

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