Excerpt from blog originally published on Why Farmers Platinum?
News for our clients, friends, & family. What might have gotten you a warning in the past, could now result in a definite ticket.
As a part of California's first Distracted Driving Awareness Month, April 2011, the CHP and 225 local law enforcements agencies around the state will be holding a series of "Zero Tolerance" days for cell phone use and texting while driving. The first Zero Tolerance day will be April 4th.
See our recent "Why Farmers Platinum?" blog about texting & driving.
A ticket for violating either the hands free or no texting law costs a minimum of $159, and subsequent tickets cost $279. But remember, in California local government can add on additional fees raising the final cost of the ticket well above the starting point.
Distracted driving is a serious traffic safety concern that puts everyone on the road at risk, joining speeding and alcohol as leading factors in fatal and serious injury crashes. As a result, law enforcement agencies across the state, including the Lake Elsinore Police Department are increasingly cracking down on cell phone use and texting.
“We take the issue of distracted driving very seriously.” said Chief Fontneau. “Cell phone use and texting while driving is such a serious concern that we are putting officers on the road to enforce zero tolerance. Is that text message or cell phone call really worth $159? Additionally I’d like you to consider the human costs. People suffer preventable injuries every day at the hands of distracted drivers.”
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. In addition, 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.
Changing behavior of drivers is admittedly an uphill battle when its so tempting to look at the cell phone when it rings while one is driving, but law enforcement is prepared for a long fight. They point to it taking 20 years to get a 96% seat-belt usage rate. With lives saved they will follow the same pattern as before. Law enforcement step up awareness with campaigns such as Zero Tolerance Days...and a lot of tickets.
The press release continues:
Studies show that there is no difference in the risks between hands-free and hand-held cell phone conversations, both of which can result in “inattention blindness” which occurs when the brain isn’t seeing what is clearly visible because the drivers’ focus is on the phone conversation and not on the road.
There are simple measures drivers can take to minimize distractions in the vehicle:
- Turn your phone off or put it out of reach before starting the car.
- Alert callers that you are unable to take calls when driving by changing your voicemail message.
- Make it a point not to call or text anyone who may be driving, such as during the commute to and from work or school, especially parents calling teen drivers.
- If you do need to make an important call or respond to a text message, pull over to a safe place to do so.
- If going cold turkey is too much of a stretch and you just can’t turn your phone off, consider using one of the available mobile phone apps that holds calls and incoming texts.
The Platinum Elite is committed to public safety and the well-being of it's clients; both physically and financially. We know the devastating effects a traffic collision can have as far as death, injury, and property damage. We also don't want to deal with the cost of a ticket, and then going to traffic school.
Together we can make the changes needed to protect our families, protect others, avoid additional costs associated with tickets by making some minor changes while we drive.
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* The content of this blog is for informative purposes only. It does not reflect official standing of any agent, agency, or company mentioned on the blog. Nor is this blog necessarilly an endorsement. Please consult with your insurance, tax, or legal specialist before making any decisions. This blog is purely meant to spark the thought process.
