Officers on motorcycle patrols in Atherton and Menlo Park issued 76 tickets to drivers using cellphones illegally and six tickets for texting during a special “distracted driving” enforcement event in those two towns on Friday, Sept. 12.
Other violations, such as not stopping at a limit line and driving without a license, contributed to the total of 95 citations and 17 warnings, Corporal Brett Murphy of the Burlingame Police Department told the Almanac.
The daylong patrols include officers from throughout the county who focus on different communities each month. For September, the focus is Atherton and Menlo Park, Cpl. Murphy said.
The Sept. 12 enforcement, with eight officers, concentrated on distracted driving. On Sept. 6, officers focused on DUI.
Another day of enforcement in Atherton and Menlo Park, with officers from up to 27 jurisdictions, is set for Wednesday, Sept. 17. On that day, officers will look for any traffic violation, including speeding, distracted driving, and not wearing a seat belt.
Officers don’t divulge exactly where the patrols will be, but set up at trouble spots identified by police who are local to the community. Many of the tickets issued Sept. 9 were on major streets, specifically El Camino Real, Middlefield Road and Santa Cruz Avenue.
Distracted driving is a major factor in vehicles crashes. Eighty percent involve driver inattention, which is a factor in 6,000 deaths per year, according to the state Office of Traffic Safety. The primary causes of distracted driving are texting and talking on cellphones, the OTS says.
Cellphone citations are not issued for communicating via hands-free phones. Using a cell phone in speaker-phone mode while holding the phone is not legal, Cpl. Murphy said. Texting citations require the officer to pull up alongside and see an open text box on a phone, he said.
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