Cell Phone Ticket Crackdown Tickets: Modesto Police in Top 5

Cellphone usage and driving are no joke, they account for a large percentage of preventable car accidents. Distracted driving has increased with the amount of technology available to the general public. And with it, the amount of accidents caused because of cellphone usage while driving have gone up as well.

During a recent campaign to stop distracted driving across Northern California, Modesto Police Department earned a spot in the top five most serious law enforcement agencies when it comes to distracted driving.

Ranking numbers were counted after the campaign crackdown from November 30^th to December 9^th came to an end. Close to 3,000 citations were issued to those breaking cell phone laws in various Northern Californian counties.

“We are committed to saving lives on area roadways, and drivers should expect to continue to see officers enforcing cell phone driving laws time and time again,” state Office of Traffic Safety Director Chris Murphy told Modesto Bee.

The Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave California a grant for a high-visibility pilot program developed to stop motorists’ hand-held cell phone use and texting while driving.

California’s program was dubbed “Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other.” It was a program that eight counties with 3.8 million residents participated in from Modesto to Marysville and Vallejo to South Lake Tahoe.

According to Modesto Bee, results for the top five police agencies included: California Highway Patrol, 404 tickets; Roseville, 292; Sacramento, 231; Stockton, 195; and Modesto, 176 – of the 176 tickets, 132 were for talking on a phone and 44 were for texting.

Some motorists have become callous to the road and those around them while they drive because they are engulfed into their cellphones. An oblivious driver was stopped in Vacaville for taking two lanes while driving and ordering concert tickets from her phone at the same time. Another woman was pulled over by Modesto CHP after being spotted with a phone up to her ear. She told the officer that she was not talking to anyone on the phone; instead she was listening to music. Regardless, the police officer issued the woman a ticket.

Throughout California cell phone talking or texting citations begin at a minimum of $159 for the first offence then escalate to costs a minimum of $279 for a second offence. The more tickets a driver collects, the more the costs accumulate but authorities set this in place to reduce the number of injuries or fatalities that occur as a result of distracted driving. If you were injured by a distracted driver contact a Modesto car accident lawyer today!