New traffic safety campaign cracks down on distracted driving
By Kat Russell, Reporter
Stamford Advocate
April 2, 2018
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/local/article/New-traffic-safety-campaign-cracks-down-on-12799648.php
STAMFORD — More than 3,400 people were killed in 2016 in motor vehicle wrecks involving distracted driving, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Of those killed, 263 were teens ages 15 to 19.
In recent years, distracted driving has become one of the riskiest driving behaviors, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, becoming as significant a problem, if not more so, as drunk or drugged driving.
That’s why the Stamford Police Department is teaming up with the Connecticut Department of Transportation for the month of April - dubbed National Distracted Driving Awareness Month - to crack down on distracted drivers.
The “U Drive. U Text. U Pay” campaign aims to educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, as well as enable local police departments to put additional manpower on the street with the sole purpose of enforcing distracted driving laws.
The campaign kicked off Monday morning, and in the first few hours alone, officers issued 18 tickets, “and that was during a snow storm,” said Stamford Police Asst. Chief Tom Wuennmann.
“All you have to do is walk or drive around and you will see distracted driving,” Wuennamann continued. “It’s constant. It makes you nervous when you’re driving on the highway and in your rearview mirror, you see the guy behind you looking up and down and up and down. You know he’s looking at something on his lap - probably a cell phone or some other device. Americans are addicted to their phones.”
According to NHTSA, more than 1,300 people are injured in crashes every day on U.S. highways as the result of distracted driving, and drivers who use handheld devices are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves or others.
Though cellphones and other electronic devices are the most common offenders, Wuennmann said they’re not the only problem.
“People putting on makeup or eating a donut or fiddling with their radio, there are multiple ways you could be distracted in your vehicle,” he said.
During the month of April, Wuennmann said the police department will be deploying “extra officers whose sole purpose will be issuing tickets for distracted driving.”
The CTDOT defines distracted driving as “any non-driving activity that takes your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel or interrupts your concentration while driving.”
Connecticut State Law says “No person shall operate a motor vehicle on any highway while using a hand held mobile telephone to engage in a call or while using a mobile electronic device while such vehicle is in motion.” Additionally, the law prohibits drivers younger than 18 from using a mobile device for any purpose, regardless of whether they have a hands-free device.
Violating the state’s distracted driving laws can be costly, the police department said. Tickets for the first violation can cost up to $150. Drivers who are ticketed a second time could face fines of up to $300, and a third offense could cost as much as $500.
“We know your phone is your life,” said Stamford Police Sgt. Andre Gallagher, a member of the Department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit, “but don’t let it cost you or someone else their life.”
The bottom line, Wuennmann said, is drivers need to focus on driving.
“When you’re driving a car, you have a responsibility to put everything else down and drive,” he said. “All those other things can wait.”
In recent years, distracted driving has become one of the riskiest driving behaviors, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, becoming as significant a problem, if not more so, as drunk or drugged driving.
That’s why the Stamford Police Department is teaming up with the Connecticut Department of Transportation for the month of April - dubbed National Distracted Driving Awareness Month - to crack down on distracted drivers.
The “U Drive. U Text. U Pay” campaign aims to educate drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, as well as enable local police departments to put additional manpower on the street with the sole purpose of enforcing distracted driving laws.
The campaign kicked off Monday morning, and in the first few hours alone, officers issued 18 tickets, “and that was during a snow storm,” said Stamford Police Asst. Chief Tom Wuennmann.
“All you have to do is walk or drive around and you will see distracted driving,” Wuennamann continued. “It’s constant. It makes you nervous when you’re driving on the highway and in your rearview mirror, you see the guy behind you looking up and down and up and down. You know he’s looking at something on his lap - probably a cell phone or some other device. Americans are addicted to their phones.”
According to NHTSA, more than 1,300 people are injured in crashes every day on U.S. highways as the result of distracted driving, and drivers who use handheld devices are four times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves or others.
Though cellphones and other electronic devices are the most common offenders, Wuennmann said they’re not the only problem.
“People putting on makeup or eating a donut or fiddling with their radio, there are multiple ways you could be distracted in your vehicle,” he said.
During the month of April, Wuennmann said the police department will be deploying “extra officers whose sole purpose will be issuing tickets for distracted driving.”
The CTDOT defines distracted driving as “any non-driving activity that takes your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel or interrupts your concentration while driving.”
Connecticut State Law says “No person shall operate a motor vehicle on any highway while using a hand held mobile telephone to engage in a call or while using a mobile electronic device while such vehicle is in motion.” Additionally, the law prohibits drivers younger than 18 from using a mobile device for any purpose, regardless of whether they have a hands-free device.
Violating the state’s distracted driving laws can be costly, the police department said. Tickets for the first violation can cost up to $150. Drivers who are ticketed a second time could face fines of up to $300, and a third offense could cost as much as $500.
“We know your phone is your life,” said Stamford Police Sgt. Andre Gallagher, a member of the Department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit, “but don’t let it cost you or someone else their life.”
The bottom line, Wuennmann said, is drivers need to focus on driving.
“When you’re driving a car, you have a responsibility to put everything else down and drive,” he said. “All those other things can wait.”
