Crime & Safety

Drop the Phone or Else! Police Issue 100 Tickets in One Day

The Petaluma Police Department, along with CHP, is focusing on distracted driving, the source of thousands of accidents statewide each month

 

Petaluma police are always busy.

But this month, the department is especially cracking down on distracted driving, giving out 100 citations over the course of one day.

Find out what's happening in Petalumawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

On Wednesday, officers made 146 traffic stops and issued 100 tickets, including 80 to people using their phones. The other citations were for speed violations, red lights, stop signs, not having a child safety seat and bicyclists riding on the wrong side of the road.

The current ticket for a first-time distracted driving offense is $159, with subsequent tickets costing at least $279.

Find out what's happening in Petalumawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The enforcement is part of the National Distracted Awareness Month. Another special operation is planned on April 16.

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes, according to the Petaluma Police Department, and younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. 


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