Sheriff's Department plans hands-free phone enforcement operation Saturday, Nov. 7
The Orange County Sheriff's Department will run an enforcement operation Saturday, Nov. 7, aimed at drivers suspected of holding a phone behind the wheel, according to the release Orange County Sheriff’s Department Focuses on the Dangers of Distracted Driving. The department polices Mission Viejo under contract as Mission Viejo Police Services, and the release is datelined Mission Viejo.
Under current law, drivers may not hold a phone or electronic communications device while operating a vehicle. That covers talking, texting and using an app.
The penalty
Holding a phone while driving is punishable by a fine. A second violation of the hands-free law within 36 months of a prior conviction for the same offense adds a point to a driver's record.
What the department asks of drivers
Drivers who need to make an important call or program directions should pull over to a safe parking spot. Before driving, the release says, silence the phone or put it somewhere out of reach.
"A driver’s focus should be on the road, not their phone," a sergeant said in the release. "That text, phone call, email or social media post is not worth the risk to yourself and other people on the road."
Who pays
Funding for the program comes from a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, provided through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Sources: Orange County Sheriff’s Department Focuses on the Dangers of Distracted Driving.
Related coverage
Mission Viejo Post is free, and stays free. If this story was useful, chip in $5 toward the next one, or become a Supporter for $5 a month.