CITY OF PLEASANT HILL

POLICE DEPARTMENT

_______________________________________________

PRESS RELEASE
CRIME/INCIDENT: DISTRACTED DRIVING AWARENESS CAMPAIGN

CONTACT:Lt. Peter Enea at 925 288 4643

BRIEF STATEMENT OF INCIDENT:

April 2011 will see over 225 police departments statewide plus the entire California Highway
Patrol join forces in conjunction with the CA Office of Traffic Safety for the Distracted Driving
Awareness Month.
As part of this campaign, the Pleasant Hill Police will be offering “zero tolerance” to those
texting or operating hand-held cell phones on April 4 and 5, 2011. Other maximum enforcement
days will be April 14 and April 28, 2011. Drivers who break the law and place themselves and
others in danger will be cited. The current minimum ticket cost is $159, with subsequent tickets
costing at least $279.

Distracted driving is a serious traffic safety concern that puts everyone on the road at risk. As a
result, law enforcement across the state, including the Pleasant Hill PD are cracking down on cell
phone use and texting.

“We take the issue of distracted driving very seriously.” said Pleasant Hill Police Chief Pete
Dunbar. “Cell phone use and texting while driving is a serious concern that merits attention and
enforcement. We are trying to make the roadways safer for everyone.”

Drivers who use hand-held devices are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to
injure themselves. Younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest
proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes. Studies show that texting while driving can delay
a driver’s reaction time just as severely as having a blood alcohol content of a legally drunk
driver.

RELEASED BY: Lt. Peter Enea on March 29, 2011/1530 hrs