CHP brings awareness to distracted driving with 24 hour maximum enforcement period

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif. (KION-TV) -- California Highway Patrol is in the midst of the 24-hour Maximum Enforcement Period for distracted driving violations.

The period began at 6 a.m. and will last until April 2 at 5:59 a.m.

Officers will be out and about to keep their eyes on the road and not be distracted by phones.

In a 2024 public opinion survey by the California Office of Traffic Safety, 74 percent said texting while driving was their biggest concern.

As for fatal crashes, while distracted driving fatalities decreased on a national level from 2021 to 2022, 148 people were killed in 2022 according to UC Berkeley SafeTREC.

To prevent distracted driving, recommendations include putting your phone away as you drive, planning your route with GPS and pulling over if necessary