SAN BERNARDINO - The next time you pass a panhandler at an intersection you may want to read their cardboard sign.

If motorists in the Inland Empire had read the signs instead of their cell phones they would have escaped a ticket from officers posing as homeless.

CBS News’ Ben Tracy reports on how police in San Bernardino are taking an unusual approach to stop the potentially deadly habit.

The officers dress in plain clothes at freeway off-ramps and hold cardboard signs typical of panhandlers. They spot drivers violating traffic laws and use a radio to alert a nearby officer in a patrol car.

Some drivers were nabbed for multiple offenses.

“We had a woman coming down with no seat belt on, she was talking on her phone and putting on mascara, all at the same time – and driving,” one officer told Tracy.

Cell phones are now involved in approximately 1.6 million car crashes nationwide each year, killing 6,000 people, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Det. Devin Peck says in just two hours San Bernardino police stopped 54 people and issued 39 tickets for distracted driving.

A first-time offense in San Bernardino for handling a cell phone while driving totals $162. A second offense will net the driver a $285 ticket. (CBSLA.com)

Story Date: August 5, 2015