The California Highway Patrol will be enforcing “zero tolerance” during April for Distracted Driving Awareness Month, as well as cracking down on drivers who violate the state’s hands-free cell phone law. A 2018 California study on driver cell phone use found that approximately 4.5 percent of drivers were seen using a cell phone, a nearly 27 percent increase from 2017, but down from 2016, when 7.6 percent of drivers were observed using a cell phone.
According to preliminary data from the CHP, 66 people were killed and more than 6,500 injured in 2017 from distracted driving-related crashes. In 2018, the CHP issued more than 109,000 citations for violations of the hands-free cell phone laws. On April 19, the CHP will conduct a statewide enforcement effort to discourage distracted driving.
