TEMPE, AZ — Whenever Derek O'Neil hits the streets on his motorcycle, he says he see other drivers aren’t always following the rules of the road.
“People are texting and driving a lot," O'Neil said. "I see people with their phone in their hand and one hand on the steering wheel all day long.”
It’s a prevalent problem. Data obtained by the Operation Safe Roads team shows that this year, the Arizona Department of Public Safety is issuing over 25 tickets and warnings a day to drivers who use their phones while on the road.
While still a lot, the number of tickets given out since Arizona's "Hands-Off" law took effect in 2021 has decreased by nearly 30%.
In 2021, AZDPS gave out over 14,000 tickets and warnings. They're on pace to give out just under 10,000 with only two months left in 2024.
Local law enforcement, like officers with the Tempe Police Department, knows there’s more work to be done.
They're upping enforcement in areas of town prone to accidents as part of their "Vision Zero" initiative, an ambitious goal to have zero deadly crashes.
“Overall what we’ve seen is an overall reduction of serious injury crashes in the City of Tempe," Sergeant Brian Cook said.
While reduced, the number is still not zero.
Stopping cell phone use in the car is an important step to achieving that goal.
“Put your phone away. Put it in the glove box. Put it in the center console," Cook said.
In 2022, ADOT said nearly 9,000 crashes in Arizona were caused by distracted driving.