April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month: Stay Alive - Don't Text and Drive!
Stay alive don't text and drive! April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Lakeport Police Department is encouraging drivers to put their mobile devices down and focus on the road! Throughout the month of April our officers will be focusing on educating the public on the dangers of distracted driving and enforcing distracted driving laws when necessary.
Current California laws make it illegal for drivers to hold a phone or other electronic device while behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. Drivers who are under the age of 18 are not allowed to use a phone for any reason, including hands-free.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2019 distracted driving killed 3,142 people. This is a 10% increase from 2018.
To help us and our allied agencies across the state in our collective mission of reducing the number of distracted driving related collision deaths, we are asking our community to take action against distracted driving. Drive Responsibly! If you need to send a text you should wait until you can pull over at a safe location and park. Don’t scroll through any smart phone apps while driving. If you have any passengers in your vehicle you should designate one of them as your “designated texter”. Remind your friends and family that if they are in the driver’s seat that driving is the only thing they should be focused on. If your driver is texting or otherwise distracted, tell them to stop and focus on driving. Ask your friends to join you in pledging not to drive distracted!
The Lakeport Police Department is committed to educating the public on the dangers of distracted driving and enforcing California law. Please join us in working to make our community and all of California safer!