Police will be keeping an eye out for distracted drivers in Menlo Park and Atherton today from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The goal of the so-called Distracted Driving Enforcement program is to “increase traffic safety in problem areas and intersections,” according to the Menlo Park Police Department.
The National Safety Council estimates that distracted drivers cause about 1.4 million traffic accidents a year. Some of the most common mistakes include texting and talking on handheld cellphones, reading, eating, using computers, switching CDs or radio stations and applying make-up.
“Essentially, anything that diverts a driver’s attention away from the primary tasks of navigating a vehicle can prove to have devastating consequences,” the police department said.
The effort is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
For more information, visit http://goo.gl/fjVe1E.
Email Rhea Mahbubani at rmahbubani@dailynewsgroup.com or follow her at twitter.com/RMahbubani.