222 Tickets Issued In South San Francisco During Distracted Driving Crackdown

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA – More than 200 citations were handed out during the month of April by South San Francisco police, as they focused their efforts on ending distracted driving in town. A total of 222 tickets were issued by the agency during the nationwide Distracted Driving Awareness Month, police report.

"This annual monthlong campaign focuses on unsafe moving violations connected to distracted driving," police said in a news release Thursday. "The campaign has a strong public education aspect through television, radio, and social media notifications, but also includes saturation patrol enforcement."

In South San Francisco, the most common type of ticket issued was for motorists caught using a cellphone without a hands-free device, police said.

Adult drivers are prohibited from driving while holding a cellphone in their hand but are able to use cell phones in a hands free manner, police said.

Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using a cellphone at any time.

A 2016 survey showed more than 44 percent of Californians said texting while driving is the most serious distraction for drivers and 54 percent of Californians said they had been hit or nearly hit by a driver who was talking or texting on a cellphone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the California Office of Traffic Safety.

– Image via Shutterstock / Bay City News Service contributed to this report