PD on extra patrol in Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Menifee PD motor officers are on special patrol to look for distracted drivers this month.

News release from the City of Menifee:

MENIFEE -- Between 2012 and 2019, more than 26,000 people in the United States lost their lives in distracted driving collisions. Menifee Police Department and the City of Menifee don’t want Menifee residents to add to that statistic.

At the April 7 City Council meeting, April was proclaimed Distracted Driving Awareness Month in Menifee. At the meeting, Police Department Traffic Sergeant Matthew Bloch and City of Menifee Public Information Officer Dominique Samario gave a presentation regarding the City’s proclamation to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving.

Proclaiming April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month is just one part of the City’s safe driving initiative. Since last fall, the City and the Menifee Police Department have partnered to encourage and inform the public about safe driving. During Distracted Driving Awareness Month, Menifee PD will have additional officers on patrol, specifically looking for drivers who violate the state’s hands-free cell phone law.

Menifee Mayor Bill Zimmerman shared his support for the campaign.

“It’s wonderful that our Menifee Police Department and City staff are working on this important outreach and I’m proud to say we’re doing everything we can to keep our streets safe,” commented Zimmerman.

According to the Menifee Police Department, there have been more than 60 collisions in Menifee involving a distracted driver since July 1, 2020. Of those, 22 resulted in injury and one caused a fatality. More than 270 citations have been issued for cell phone violations since Menifee PD began service last July.

Sergeant Bloch shared that on any given day, this number could grow.

“There are times when our traffic team issues five citations in an hour sitting at one intersection. The community needs to realize that any time you drive distracted, it could have major impacts on not only your life, but the lives of your friends and neighbors,” said Bloch.

At last week’s City Council meeting, Mayor Pro Tempore Lesa Sobek highlighted the importance of a “call to action” for residents. The City of Menifee urges residents to commit to safe driving by taking the National Safety Council’s Just Drive Pledge. By taking the pledge, individuals are pledging to just drive while operating a vehicle for their own safety and for the safety of those with whom they share the roads.

To help spread the word, the City of Menifee is asking residents who pledge to just drive to share their commitment to safe driving on social media. When residents take the Just Drive pledge, screenshot it, and post it to their social media accounts using #JustDrive and #DriveSafeMenifee, they will be entered into a drawing for a ride-along with Menifee PD and meet-and-greet with a PD K-9 (when conditions allow.)