The CHP recently joined with other national law enforcement agencies in promoting "Drowsy Driving Prevention Week."

According to the Centers for Disease Control, a driver who has been awake for 18 consecutive hours is equally as impaired as a driver with a BAC of .05; after 24 consecutive hours, it's like driving with a .10 BAC. In California in 2012, there were 3,900 collisions involving drowsy drivers. These collisions injured 2,100 people injured and killed 36.

Daydreaming, trouble remembering the last few miles, missing an exit and disconnected thoughts are all telltale signs of drowsiness.

Most everyone realizes that driving under the influence is very dangerous. But did you know that driving while texting is six times more deadly than DUI (although it's also true that if you quit texting you're back to normal, but if you quit drinking, you're still drunk). Moreover, while DUI deaths have decreased over 50 percent since the 1980s, non-alcohol related traffic fatalities have moved in the other direction, and increased 78 percent in the same period.

In response, California and most other states have banned texting while driving, mostly because it's considered the most dangerous form of distracted driving. When they text, motorists take their hands off the wheel, their eyes off the road and their minds off the road.

But the California ban, VC 23123, has some fairly large loopholes. The biggest one is the definition of "cell phone use." Courts have held that using an app is not "texting" within the meaning of the statute. An attorney practicing in Tulare County can use arguments like this one to get the penalties reduced, or even get the case thrown out, if you are cited for violating the cell phone law.