Police hear plenty of excuses from drivers using mobile phones

Police officers got an earful of excuses recently from motorists about why they flouted the law and used cellphones while driving.

During a distracted driving enforcement effort last month, 75 drivers got tickets for texting, checking emails, accessing the Internet or talking on their phones while driving, a release said.

Motorists offered an array of reasons why they were distracted or using their cellphones.

They told officers, “It was an emergency call/text,” Henderson Police Department spokeswoman Kathleen Richards said. “They thought they could talk, text, check email when stopped at a red light.”

Some said that “they don’t have Bluetooth, hands-free option,” she said.

Or that “they were just checking the time.”

Drivers would even say that “they didn’t know about or agree with the law,” Richards said.

Never mind the fact that the law has been on the books for more than four years.

According to the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, texting, accessing the Internet and handheld cellphone use while driving in Nevada was made illegal on Jan. 1, 2012.

Earlier this month, officers from the Henderson, North Las Vegas, Mesquite, Boulder City and Metropolitan police departments, as well as Nevada Highway Patrol, partnered to target motorists using their mobile phones or otherwise not paying attention to the road.

Officers made 605 traffic stops and issued a total of 75 distracted driving citations to motorists from April 1 to April 20, the statement said. Other citations were issued for speeding, registration and insurance violations, and for running a red light.

Enforcement events during the year will focus on pedestrian safety, seat belt use, speeding, distracted driving and impaired driving, the statement said.

Contact Raven Jackson at rjackson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0381. Follow @ravenmjackson on Twitter.