A woman reaching for her cell phone plowed into a traffic signal just after 4 p.m., on Tuesday Jan. 29 in Palm Desert, officials reported.
iStock photo
Officers from the Palm Desert Traffic Services Team responded to the intersection of Portola Avenue and Via Venezia regarding the single car crash.
Initial investigations revealed a woman driving a Mitsubishi Galant was traveling northbound on Portola Avenue when she took her eyes off the road to grab her phone, Sgt. Adams stated in a Riverside County Sheriff’s press release.
When the woman looked up she realized traffic was stopped at a red light. She swerved her car to avoid smashing into the traffic and ended up hitting a traffic signal.
“The Public Works Department was notified and the traffic signal at this intersection is expected to be flashing red overnight,” Sgt. Adams added.
Drugs or alcohol are not suspected to be a factor in the crash.
“The Palm Desert Police Department and the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department would like to remind all drivers to avoid using their cellular phone while driving,” Wade stated.
To read about a recent crackdown on drivers using cell phones in Southwest Riverside, click here.
Anyone with further details regarding this incident is urged to contact Officer Anderson at 760-836-1600.
Stephanie D. Schulte is a writer/photographer with SWRNN. She can be reached at stephanie.schulte@swrnn.com.
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