More than 400 Drivers Cited During Crackdown on Distracted Driving

The Sheriff’s Department and the California Highway Patrol recently concluded a crackdown on drivers who text message or talk on a cell phone without a hands-free device, issuing 438 tickets to adult motorists and four tickets to juvenile drivers.

The countywide enforcement campaign began April 9 at 6 a.m. and ended April 14 at 6 a.m., according to sheriff’s Sgt. Scott Hill.

The four juveniles were cited for violating the state’s zero-tolerance vehicle code, which prohibits drivers under 18 from using a cell phone, even with a hands-free device.

According to Hill, four drivers were arrested after first being contacted for distracted driving. The charges the drivers faced were not released.

Deputies and officers observed 514 drivers violating hands-free laws, but did not contact them due to priority calls, according to Hill. Several of the drivers that were cited had been previously cited for distracted driving.