Police plan to target drivers’ cell-phone use again

Petaluma police and California Highway Patrol officers cited 47 drivers for cell-phone violations during a combined task-force operation on the morning of Nov. 11, and more collaborative efforts are planned to address the continuing problem, says the police sergeant overseeing the operation.

“We don’t have a specific grant for cell-phone enforcement, so it was very helpful to have the CHP working with us,” said Sgt. Ken Savano of the Petaluma Police Department. “It sends a strong message to motorists when they see that we’re working together to try to deal with this problem.”

In the most recent effort, 47 drivers were cited between 7 and 10 a.m. during an operation that had been announced in advance. Most drivers were cited for having cell phones in their hands, and a few were cited for texting.

Since cell-phone laws went into effect on July 1, 2008, Petaluma police officers have issued more than 900 citations and rear-end collisions have declined by nearly 10 percent, but there have been only 29 collision investigations that have determined that a cell phone was being used illegally at the time of the accident, Savano said.

“The last number, 29, is extremely low, but this is because we can’t always pull up the exact minute of an accident, to establish if the person involved was on the phone when it happened,” he added.

A survey conducted on Nov. 10 at the intersection of East Washington Street and North McDowell Boulevard showed that approximately 11 percent of the motorists were illegally using cell phones. A survey later in the day at the intersection of East Washington Street and Water Street revealed that more than 18 percent of the drivers were illegally using phones.

“Actually, I was surprised the percentages weren’t higher. Clearly, there’s a decrease in people committing cell-phone and texting violations, but it’s still a big problem,” Savano said.

“Despite the education and enforcement efforts of law enforcement and media, drivers continue to use their cell phones to talk or text while driving without (using) a hands-free device, creating dangerous situations for all motorists,” he added. “Drivers who are distracted or inattentive due to the use of a personal communication device without a hands-free set-up are responsible for a large number of traffic collisions.”

A first-time violation of cell-phone and texting laws costs $80 to $100, and Savano said this might need to be increased “if people don’t begin to take collective action, and pay attention.”

A follow-up survey will be conducted next week to ascertain the impact of the Nov. 11 enforcement operation.

“And officers will continue to be on the lookout for cell-phone violators and issue citations to those drivers who do not use their devices safely,” Savano said.

He is optimistic that compliance with cell-phone and texting laws will continue to improve.

“The issues we have with these laws are similar to the ones we have had with seat belt-compliance laws. Some people are resistant to change, but we’ll get there,” Savano said.

Additional information on cell phone laws can be found at www.chp.ca.gov/pdf/media/ cell_phone_faq.pdf.

(Contact Dan Johnson at dan.johnson@arguscourier.com)