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Buellton Law Enforcement Leaders Support Distracted Driving Awareness Month

By Renee Nordstrand on April 10, 2013

person texting while driving a car

A multi-agency group of law enforcement leaders gathered at a press-conference in Buellton to show their support for Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April. This is a nationwide campaign designed to make motorists aware of the dangers of distracted driving; especially the hazards of driving while texting or using a cell phone.

The agencies reconfirmed their commitment to keep looking for inattentive drivers and echoed their support for the statewide Zero Tolerance Distracted Driving Enforcement Operation, which begins on April 1 and runs through April 30. Drivers who are caught texting or using a cell phone will not be issued a warning, but will be ticketed. According to the Santa Barbara Independent, more than 57,000 tickets were issued in California during the operation last April.

A spokesman for the Santa Barbara Sheriff’s Department told the gathering, “We have experienced far too many distracted driver-related fatal and injury accidents right here in Santa Barbara County. Such tragedies are 100% percent preventable. The consequences of texting and driving can kill innocent victims and leave a lifetime of sorrow and regret for others, including the distracted driver.”

It is estimated that in 2011 more than 3,000 people were killed in distracted driver-related accidents and an additional 387,000 people were injured.

The Santa Barbara auto accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Reneé J. Nordstrand commend the national effort to reign in distracted and negligent drivers during Distracted Driving Awareness Month. There are far too many distracted drivers on California’s roads and highways causing injuries and deaths that are preventable. If you or a loved one has been injured due to the negligence of a distracted driver, call our Santa Barbara office at (805) 962-2022 or our Encino office at (818) 981-3530 to learn about your legal options.