It might be something you see other people doing often and maybe you’ve been guilty of doing it as well, being distracted while driving.
The month of April is "Distracted Driving Awareness Month" and the message from law enforcement officials is simple, keep your eyes on the road at all times.
According to CHP when you look down at your cell phone it takes the driver’s eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. Those could be the seconds just before a crash.
The most common distraction? You guessed it cellphones.
“It has to be hands-free, if you're going to use your cell phone it has to be fixed to the vehicle. The driver gets one swipe to open it up or a push of a button once and then after that it has to be hands-free," said CHP officer Fidencio Rueda.
“Every once in a while you see someone got their phone in the hand and they're driving at the same time. It's horrible," said Cayucos resident, John Jacobson.
According to Officer Rueda, in California, any driver who is under 18 years old is not allowed to use their cell phone at all.
“Eating while driving. We see it a lot on the freeway or on the roadway. Makeup doing their makeup. It's a big one," explained Rueda.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, in 2021 distracted driving killed 3,522 people and CHP issued nearly 56,000 citations for distracted driving.
CHP encourages drivers to ask a passenger to answer their calls and texts. If you don’t have anyone else in the car pull over somewhere safe to use your phone.
