Mill Valley, Marin Police Kick Off Month-Long Crackdown on Cell Phone Use by Drivers

How urgent is that text you want to send while you’re behind the wheel?

Is it worth $159? How about $279?

That’s the question law enforcement officers in Mill Valley and throughout Marin and California are asking starting today and throughout the month in an organized crackdown on drivers who use their cell phones to text or talk without a hands-free device. Mill Valley Police will specifically be cracking down between April 3 and April 16.

For Marin-based California Highway Patrol Officer Andrew Barclay, a recent encounter he had with a driver along to the Novato Narrows section of Hwy. 101 says it all. Barclay said he was stopped on the right shoulder of the highway when he spotted a car in the far left lane, in bumper-to-bumper traffic, “stopped in the lane approximately 10 car lengths in behind the next closest vehicle.”

Barclay pulled up next to the driver and “observed the driver with a cell phone in his hand, texting.” He stayed alongside the car for 10-15 seconds before the driver even noticed he was there, and later denied texting when Barclay pulled the car over.

“It just goes to demonstrate how absorbed you can be in a text message,” he said. “You may be looking down at the phone for what feels like a couple of seconds but in reality it is much longer. It's bad enough when you are in stopped traffic, but it's even worse when you are at freeway speed. Do everyone else on the road a favor and wait to write that text message.”

In an effort to put some additional weight behind that message, officers throughout Marin are stepping up their enforcement of texting and talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device. It has been illegal to do the former since 2009 and against the law to do the latter since 2008.

Nearly 450,000 handheld cell phone and texting convictions were issued in 2012, with more than 57,000 tickets issued in April alone. The fine for a first time texting or hand-held cell phone violation is $159, with subsequent tickets costing $279.

Despite the laws and the fines that give them some teeth, texting and talking on a cell phone while driving shows no signs of subsiding. A study released last month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that 69 percent of U.S. drivers say they talk on their cellphones and about one in three read or send texts or emails while driving.

Barclay said those who text while driving in particular exhibit very similar behavior to those of drunk drivers: unable to maintain proper speeds, having trouble staying within lanes and lack of attention to the road.

According to the California Office of Traffic and Safety, cell phone use behind the wheel “can significantly reduce the brain functions needed for safe driving, sometimes up to 37 percent,” transforming good drivers into inattentive “zombies.”

OTS officials issued the following tips to avoid falling victim to “zombie-like” distracted driving:

• Turn off your phone and/or put it out of reach while driving.
• Include in your outgoing message that you can’t answer while you are driving.
• Don’t call or text anyone at a time when you think they may be driving.
• Adjust controls and set your song playlist before you set out on the road.
• Stay alert and keep your mind on the task of driving – often after a long day at work or a not-so-restful night’s sleep, people’s minds can wander when behind the wheel. If you find yourself daydreaming – clear your head and focus on the road.

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