Union City Police to Crack Down on Drivers Using Cell Phones

Local law enforcement will join agencies across California for the first Distracted Driving Awareness Month. The statewide initiative enforces a zero tolerance policy for illegal cell phone use—such as handheld phones and texting—use through the month of April.

Distracted driving is a serious safety concern, said Lt. Ben Horner of the

“Significant injuries and traffic deaths would be lower if drivers would pay attention,” Horner said. “It only takes a split second for something to change. If you’re not paying attention, it’s a tragedy waiting to happen.”

Starting today, Union City officers are joining more than 225 local agencies plus 103 CHP area commands to crack down on cell phone use and texting.

Traffic officers are currently on Union City streets concentrating on distracted driving, Horner said.

A first offense violation for using a cell phone improperly while driving results in a ticket of $150 to $200, depending on the jurisdiction, Horner said. Subsequent violations hold a higher fine.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Distraction.gov website, drivers using hand-held devices are four times as likely to be in serious injury accidents.

But even using a hands-free device can put you at risk. Cell phone use poses a cognitive distraction that degrades a driver’s performance so that you’re more likely to miss visual and audible cues to avoid accidents, the website states. Cell phone use, hand-held and hands-free, also delays reaction as much as having a blood-alcohol concentration level of .08 percent.

A majority of those involved in fatal distracted driving accidents are under the age of 20, according to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

When a driver is using a cell phone, especially when texting, it becomes difficult to focus on the road, Horner said.

“Anyone who’s driving can look around and see people who aren’t paying attention, weaving in and out of lanes because it’s obviously difficult to concentrate on what’s occurring around you while your eyes and your thoughts are concentrating on a cell phone,” Horner said.

Horner said the crackdown on cell phone use is similar to those conducted in previous years to enforce seatbelt policy.

“Most people wear seatbelts now and the serious injuries and fatalities have gone down,” Horner said. “Now so many people are texting and talking on their phone. It’s an awareness issue.”

“We’re just trying to educate the public a little bit,” he said.