Officers Cite 467 Distracted Drivers

Many drivers said they were aware of the CHP's campaign to stop distracted drivers

In a span of just six days, officers cited nearly 500 drivers who were texting or talking on their phones while driving.

The California Highway Patrol and the County's Sheriff's Department announced a campaign to crack down on distracted drivers from February 13 until February 18.

They cited 467 adults who they saw texting or talking on their phones without a handsfree device, according to a press release from the Sheriff's Department. The citations were issued on San Diego streets and highways.

In addition to the cited drivers, CHP officers and Sheriff's deputies also spotted about 550 distracted drivers, but didn't pursue the drivers due to more important calls, the release stated.

This means over one thousand distracted drivers were witnessed.

"Distracted driving is a serious traffic safety concern that puts everyone on the road at risk," read a statement from the department.

Many of the drivers pulled over for texting or talking on the phone even said they were aware of the crackdown before being pulled over.

Three of the adults pulled over during the crackdown were arrested for driving on suspended licenses.

Three juveniles were also cited for what the department calls Zero Tolerance Violations.

Distracting cell phone use is the primary safety concern for drivers, according to a survey released by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS).

However, nearly half of all young drivers say they text while driving.

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