April is distracted driving awareness month and police are aggressively looking for people using their cellphones while driving.
Numerous studies show that it takes about 4.6 seconds to look down, read your message and let it register in your mind: time that is dangerously spent.
"You look down, your eyes have to focus," said CHP Officer Vince Ramirez. "Your attention is drawn away from the road. A likelihood that you're going to be involved in a traffic collision if you're not paying attention to the roadway in front of you."
Teens are the most likely to drive distracted, officials said. And they have another warning for parents -- "Do as you want your kids to do."
"They do what they're parents are doing," Ramirez said. "So we want to encourage parents not to use the cell phone at all."
