Full Notification

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness month and the Los Altos Police Department is joining law enforcement agencies in the Bay Area and statewide to crack down on distracted driving.

Distracted driving can have deadly consequences. In the average time it takes to check a text message – less than 5 seconds – a car travelling 60 mph will travel more than the length of a football field. With an average of less than one second to react to an urgent situation, drivers need to have all their attention on the roadway. No text, call, or social media update is worth risking a crash.

Common distracted driving behaviors include:

• Texting
• Talking on non-hands free cell phones
• Reading maps/gps, books and newspapers
• Eating and drinking
• Changing cds or radio stations

We urge all drivers to silence their cell phones and pay attention to the road. If you have teen drivers in your household, remind them of the dangers of distracted driving and share with them the safety tips outlined below.

Eliminate distractions while driving:

• Never text and drive
• Turn off your phone when you get behind the wheel
• Don’t text or call someone when you know they are likely to be driving
• No eating or drinking while driving
• Don’t program your GPS, MP3 player or other devices while driving
• Pull over and stop to read maps
• No grooming, reading or watching videos
• Try not to get too involved with passengers
• If something falls to the floor, pull over before trying to reach it

The Los Altos Police Department is committed to seeing a decrease in the number of traffic collisions that are caused by distracted driving. This can only be accomplished through the diligent awareness and cooperation of the public – so please, drive safe and focus on the road.