Distracted driving patrols Thursday

“We are hoping that every citizen will do their part to keep our street safe from distracted driving and just put your phones away,” a press release from The Dalles Police Department stated.

The emphasis patrol is part of a grant-funded effort aimed at enhancing public safety.

Motorists are prohibited from using a mobile device that is not hands free while driving on public streets and premises open to the public.

The fine for the first offense is $265. The second offense in 10 years carries a presumptive fine of $440 and a third one in a 10-year period is a Class B misdemeanor. The law is found in the Oregon Revised Statues (ORS) 811.507.

From 2013-17 in Oregon, there were 12,006 crashes resulting in 95 fatalities and 18,429 injuries caused by crashes involving a distracted driver.

In the same time period, there were 72,032 convictions for distracted driving.