South City Drivers Face Big Fines For Bad Calls

Keep your phone out of your hands while driving in South San Francisco, unless you'd like a ticket.

As part of April's national Distracted Driving Awareness Month campaign, South San Francisco traffic officers issued 343 moving violations including citations for cellphone use without a hands free device, texting while driving and talking on a cell phone or texting while driving and under the age of 18, according to police.

Drivers were cited without warning during the enforcement operation, which began April 1 and lasted through Tuesday.

The cost of a ticket for distracted driving offenses is $159 with subsequent tickets costing at least $279, according to South San Francisco police.

The Police Department warns drivers to avoid talking on the phone at all while driving. In a report, it stated that studies actually show that there is no difference in the risks between hands-free and hand-held cell phone conversations, both of which can result in "inattention blindness," a term that refers to the brain being unable to see clearly because the driver's focus is on the conversation and not on the road.

In fact, the department reported that distracted drivers caused the deaths of an estimated 3,331 people nationally in 2011. Studies show texting while driving can delay a driver's reaction time just as severely as having a blood alcohol content of a legally drunk driver.

The South San Francisco Police Department urges drivers to take caution while driving by putting your phone out of reach while driving and avoid calling or texting another while they may be driving.

— Bay City News