Redding Calif.-- Cell phones have been an issue when driving for years now but now with so many new distractions on the road, Redding police are stepping up for the month of April to target distracted driving.

On April 5th and 12th there is going to be stepped up enforcement throughout the city to really crack down on the issue.

For a city of its size, Redding sees a higher than average amount of crashes caused by distracted driving.

Across the state 2017 data also shows nearly 22,000 drivers were involved in distracted driving collisions in California, a decline from the more than 33,000 drivers involved in distracted driving collisions in 2007, the last full year before the hands-free law went into effect.

Video from the Redding Police Departments Facebook page on distracted driving

Sergeant Montgomery with the Redding police department tells me that this is especially important to him because he has a son too who has just started driving.

He said on Thursday “it’s one that is kind of near and dear to my heart because I have a 16-year-old kid now and he thinks he is a great driver but you always worry about them being out there with all of that.”

He is one of many officers in Redding that will be a part of the enforcement and says that they aren’t taking any chances this month with drivers.

To remind readers of what is legal and what is not. It is now illegal in the state of California to hold a cellphone while you're driving.

Your phone must be secured to your car through some sort of holding a device. At that point, it is it legal to use your phone for calling and apps but only through using voice activation.

Other distractions such as eating, putting make-up on, and having a dog sitting in your lap are not illegal.

Even so Sergeant Montgomery also says that “if that causes you to make an unsafe lane change speed or not start or whatever that is as a vehicle code violation you’re going to get a violation even if it was your dog on your lap that caused it.”