Rialto, Calif. – April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Rialto Police Department encourages drivers to give the phone a break and focus on the road.
During the week of April 26th, the Rialto Police Department will have additional officers on patrol specifically looking for drivers who violate the state’s hands-free cell phone law.
“Driving while holding and using a cell phone or electronic device is a distraction and is extremely dangerous,” Rialto Police Chief Mark Kling said. “To put it into perspective, at 55 mph, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds; long enough to cover the entire length of a football field.”
According to the 2020 California Statewide Public Opinion Survey, more than 75% of surveyed drivers listed “Distracted Driving because of TEXTING” as their biggest safety concern.
Under current law, drivers are not allowed to hold a phone or other electronic device while behind the wheel. Drivers under 18 are not allowed to use a phone for any reason, including hands-free.
If you need to make a call or send a text, pull over and park at a safe location. Drivers should silence their phones or put the phone out of reach, such as the glove box 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.
