Temecula Police to Crackdown on Distracted Drivers

The Temecula Police Department announced Thursday that it will actively ticket those texting or operating their hand-held cell phones during the month of April.

The crackdown—which is a part of April's Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign—will cite drivers a minimum of $159. More than 225 local agencies plus the CHP are participating in the effort.

Last April, over 57,000 tickets were written statewide for texting and hand-held cell use. There were nearly 450,000 convictions in 2012.

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. Younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes, according to the department. 

Studies show that texting while driving can delay a driver's reaction time just as severely as having a blood alcohol content of a legally drunk driver. An estimated 3,331 people died in 2011 because of distracted drivers, according to the department.

To avoid a distracted driving ticket or crash, the Temecula Police Department offers drivers the following tips:

• Turn off your phone and/or put it out of reach while driving
• Include in your outgoing message that you can't answer while you are driving
• Don't call or text anyone at a time when you think they may be driving