The Concord Police Department is reminding drivers to stay alert and avoid distractions behind the wheel as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.
Officials say everyday behaviors such as checking a phone, adjusting in-car technology, eating, or changing the radio can significantly increase the risk of crashes. Police plan to step up enforcement throughout the month, focusing on violations of California’s hands-free cell phone law.
“Distracted driving continues to put everyone on the road at risk,” Police Chief Mark Bustillos said in a statement, urging drivers to keep their attention on the road at all times.
According to a statewide survey, more than 70% of drivers identified texting or phone use as their top safety concern. State data also shows that 158 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in California in 2023, marking an increase from the previous year. Officials note that the true number may be higher, as distraction is not always confirmed in crash investigations.
Under California law, drivers are prohibited from holding a phone or electronic device while operating a vehicle, even when stopped at a red light. Violations can result in fines, and repeat offenses within 36 months may add a point to a driver’s record.
Police are encouraging drivers to take simple steps to reduce distractions, including setting navigation before driving, silencing or storing phones out of reach, and pulling over safely if attention is needed elsewhere.
Funding for enforcement efforts is provided through a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Yesterday I was driving on Ygnacio Valley Road towards Walnut Creek, mid-day. Midway through the open space a vehicle was driving in the left lane at about 40 MPH in the 55 MPH zone. Cars were having to slam on their brakes and pass the car on the right. As I passed on the right, I looked at the driver who was an older woman on her mobile phone.
On a darker note, but on the same subject, the son of a high school classmate, newly married and in his mid-twenties, was a passenger in a rideshare vehicle (I don’t recall which of the two) on a Sunday morning trip to the airport on a business trip. The rideshare vehicle was hit from the rear at a high rate of speed by a car whose driver ultimately admitted to having been texting while driving. My friend’s son was fatally injured.
I support distracted driving enforcement efforts.
I can’t tell you the number of times I see teenage / young twenties drivers on YVR looking at their phones going 25mph holding up traffic completely in their “me first” self entitled world – where do they get this? Many from their parents probably – parents need to be role models.
Hang up and drive.