Distracted Driving Nets 395 Tickets In South Bay

Written By L.A. Chung

The California Highway Patrol issued 426 tickets during April's "Distracted Driving" campaign month, in the South Bay from Mountain View to just north of Gilroy.

Despite the special emphasis placed on texting while driving, CHP issued 310 tickets for cell phone usage while driving, the biggest group of citations  tickets issued, according to CHP Officer Chris Falkowski.

Fifty tickets were issued for texting while driving and 34 for other distractions while driving. These included violating the Basic Speed law and making unsafe turns.

One ticket was issued to a juvenile for cell phone usage while driving, a specific vehicle code violation.

Another driver was stopped for using a cell phone while driving—and ended up arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. And 24 drivers got off with a verbal warning about distracted driving.

The San Jose Office of the CHP jurisdiction covers all interstate and state highways south of Mountain View and north of Giloy. Along Interstate 280, this extends from Magdalena Avenue in Los Altos Hills down to I-680 in San Jose.

The CHP joined with more than 280 other law enforcement agencies in the first statewide Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Citations issued during "Distracted Driving Awareness Month" by the San Jose Office of the CHP in April:

• Cell phone use while driving (23123 a CVC) - 310 total citations issued (adult section) 
  
• Cell phone use while driving (23124 b CVC) - 1 citation (juvenile section)
  
• Texting while driving (23123.5 a CVC) -50 total citations
  
• Other distracted driving citations (22350 cvc, 22107 cvc) - 34 total citations
  
• Verbal warnings - 24 total
  
• Arrest from cell phone stop - 1