April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and Middlebury Police Chief James Viadero said his department will participate in the “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” statewide campaign to crack down on motorists who choose to text, talk or otherwise distract themselves from the task of driving by using a hand-held mobile phone. It is part of a larger campaign sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration – who deems the month of April national distracted driving awareness month.
The Middlebury Police Department will participate in the campaign by adding special patrols aimed at catching distracted drivers, especially those on their phones. “Driving and texting is illegal and irresponsible. People who break our state’s texting law will be stopped and fined. If you drive and text, you will pay,” said Viadero. “For those who say that driving and texting is an epidemic, we believe enforcement of our hand-held mobile phone ban law is part of the cure.”
Under Connecticut’s cell phone and texting law, violations involve fines of $150 for a first offense, $300 for a second violation, and $500 for each subsequent violation. As many as 50 law enforcement agencies, including state and local police, will take part in the mobilization to enforce Connecticut’s tough law that prohibits motorists from texting and/or using hand-held cell phones while driving. The crackdown will span the entire month of April. During a similar, three-week campaign last September, over 7,000 motorists received a citation for using their phone while driving.
In 2013, 3,154 people were killed and an estimated additional 424,000 were injured in motor-vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. According to a 2014 special article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the risk of a crash or near-crash among novice drivers increased with the performance of many secondary tasks, including texting and dialing cell phones.
Police will be keeping an especially close eye out for drivers who text and drive. “Texting and driving requires motorists to take their eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off the task of driving. It creates the proverbial ‘perfect storm’ for a crash, and no one has the right to put another person’s life at risk like that,” said Viadero.
Connecticut remains the only state in the nation to receive special distracted driving prevention funds – the same funds that allow for special patrols to identify, stop and cite drivers who choose to ignore distracted driving laws. Over $4.6 million dollars has been awarded to the state over the last two years specifically to fund campaigns like this one. Connecticut qualifies for this federal funding source through a mix of tough laws – and, a proven track record in strong enforcement of distracted driving laws.
“It’s not that complicated: if you text and drive, we will see you, pull you over, and fine you. We’re serious about enforcing texting laws,” said Viadero.
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