GPDPS: Don't take pictures or videos while driving

GRANTS PASS, Ore. — Local first responders are warning people to get off their phones, especially while driving by an emergency like a fire.

Grants Pass Fire/Rescue Battalion Chief Randy DeLonge says a video circulated online of crews working on the fire at milepost 70 on Friday, and in the video, he says it was clear the person was filming while driving.

Unfortunately, DeLonge says this isn’t the first time something like this has happened.

“Some say it is like going an entire football field with your eyes closed before you recognize that there is an issue,” DeLonge says, “Put their phones down whether there is a scene or not. And when they come up to a scene, we really encourage them to put the phone away.”

In Oregon, it’s illegal to drive while holding or using an electronic device. According to the CDC, nine people across the US die every day in distracted driving incidents.