Law Enforcers to Drivers Handling Cell Phones: We’re Staking You Out

Sheriff’s deputies and California Highway Patrol officers will be on the lookout next week for drivers who text or talk on a hand-held cell phone, the county Sheriff's Department said Thursday.

“Zero tolerance enforcement” operations will start Monday and run through April 13, said sheriff's Lt. David Gilmore.

April marks the second annual National Distracted Driving Awareness month. During the last campaign, nearly 500 drivers were cited, Gilmore said.

The fine for a first offense is $159 plus court fees and fines for subsequent violations are much higher, Gilmore said.

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into a crash that is serious enough to cause injury, figures show.

Texting while driving can delay a driver’s reaction time as severely as having a blood alcohol content of a legally drunken driver, Gilmore said.

—City News Service