Do You Type, Talk and Drive?

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. As a result, the California Highway Patrol has asked law enforcement agencies throughout the state to focus enforcement efforts on drivers using hand-held cell phones, texting and other distractions throughout the month.

California's campaign uses the slogan, "It's Not Worth It," to convey that no text, phone call or other distraction is worth a collision, injury or death.

We want to hear from you: Is it worth it? Do you talk, text and drive? How often? Only at stoplights in Half Moon Bay and never around Devil's Slide? Will increased enforcement along Highway 1 and the 92 change your behavior?

Comment below about your habits and how much increased enforcement will change your behavior.

Here are some related facts and figures, from the state Office of Traffic Safety:

• 80 percent of vehicle crashes involve some sort of driver inattention.
• Texting takes your eyes off the road for an average 5 seconds — long enough to travel the length of a football field at 55 mph. Most crashes happen with less than 3 seconds reaction time.
• Over 3,000 people died in the U.S. in 2010 due to distracted driving. 

For more information, please access the California Office of Traffic Safety website.

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