Thousands in Modesto-area cited for using cell phones

A child darts out into the street. A driver has a short amount of time and distance to react before things go horribly wrong.

Imagine the driver is using a cell phone or sending a text message. Police say the time and distance needed to stop safely dramatically decreases.

"Distractions are one of the leading reasons for traffic collisions," said Sgt. Rick Armendariz, Modesto police spokesman.

Law enforcement officials across the Central Valley tried to burn this warning into the minds of drivers this week with a 48-hour campaign to deter illegal cell phone use and texting while driving.

The California Highway Patrol spearheaded the campaign and other law enforcement agencies in the valley joined the two-day effort.

Throughout the valley, 2,088 people were issued citations for driving while talking on their cell phones, 67 were cited for texting while driving and 196 were given a warning.

Modesto police issued 169 citations for illegal cell phone use. Armendariz said they're not surprised.

"Unfortunately, it's just an example of what we're seeing out there," he said. "It's just a mind-set that we need to change."

Law enforcement agencies warned the public they would be looking for violators before the two-day campaign started, Armendariz said.

He said the number of tickets demonstrates that officials need to continue to educate the public about the laws restricting cell phone use on the road.

"Some of the safest drivers are those who drive defensively," Armendariz said. "They're anticipating something is going to go wrong."

In Stanislaus County, authorities said 350 people were issued citations for driving while talking on their cell phones, 15 were cited for texting while driving and 27 were given a warning.

In Merced County, 85 drivers were cited for using a cell phone, six for texting and 25 were warned.

The CHP in Stanislaus County gave tickets to 170 drivers for talking on a cell phone, cited three drivers for texting and warned 22 others.

Officer Eric Parsons, a CHP spokesman, said the ideal goal is not to issue any citations after warning the public of the enforcement period.

"There's no way to tell if we changed behaviors," Parsons said. "We write tickets to try to change behaviors that cause damage and, more importantly, cause injuries or death."

Bee staff writer Rosalio Ahumada can be reached at rahumada@modbee.com or 578-2394.