Glendale police to crack down on distracted drivers in April

During the month of April, Glendale police plan to crackdown on motorists who are illegally using their cellphones, putting on make-up or engaged in other forms of distracted driving.

“We all know that talking and texting on our cell phones while driving is distracting, but that doesn’t stop some people from continuing to do it,” Glendale Police Chief Ron De Pompa said in a statement on the zero-tolerance enforcement campaign.

He added that police enforcement was aimed at educating the community about “the dangers of cell phone use while driving.”

Fines for using a hand-held cellphone while driving are at least $159 for the first offense and increase with subsequent violations.

More than 200 law enforcement agencies will also take part in a statewide crackdown on distracted driving, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.

Nearly 450,000 hand-held cellphone tickets resulted in convictions last year, according to the California Department of Motor Vehicles. More than 57,000 tickets were also issued in April last year.

-- Veronica Rocha, veronica.rocha@latimes.com

Follow on Google+ and on Twitter @VeronicaRochaLA.