(Amanda Loman/Salem Reporter)
Salem police last Thursday between 9:30 a.m. and noon reported issuing more than a dozen citations for using a phone while driving.
As part of Distracted Driving Awareness Month, the Salem Police Traffic Team spent that period on April 7 in the downtown area focused on spotting distracted drivers, according to department spokeswoman Angela Hedrick.
A data graphic showed Salem police issued 18 citations for driving a motor vehicle while using a mobile communication device, including one arrest due to it being the driver’s third offense.
Police issued three citations for failing to properly use a safety belt, made one arrest for criminal driving while suspended and another arrest for failing to display a license and multiple warrant.
They also issued 13 citations and nine warnings for various other violations, the graphic showed.
“Anything that takes you away from the task of driving can be dangerous. If your perception is delayed, then your response is delayed,” Traffic Team Sgt. Scott Kofoid wrote in a statement.
Hedrick said that means a driver has to be aware and focused on driving to realize something has happened, such as the car ahead suddenly breaking or a pedestrian stepping onto the road.
“The brain needs to register that first before the brain can then initiate the appropriate action. The distractions for a driver can be many inside the cabin of vehicle,” she said in an email.
-Ardeshir Tabrizian
