Westport Police Cracking Down On Distracted Driving For April

Westport CT

01 April, 2022

8:52 AM

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WESTPORT, CT — On Friday, the Connecticut Department of Transportation Highway Safety Office launched the "U Drive. U Text. U Pay." campaign, a national high-visibility enforcement campaign for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April. In a news release provided by Westport police, Police Lt. Dave Wolf said the department will step up efforts to enforce distracted-driving laws from April 1 to April 30, in partnership with state and local law enforcement and the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. According to Wolf, there were nearly 5,000 crashes in Connecticut in 2020 attributed to distracted driving. Between 2012 and 2019, 26,004 people died nationwide in crashes involving a distracted driver, according to NHTSA. Since 2015, Connecticut has been measuring rates of distracted driving. August 2021 saw the highest rate of drivers either texting or talking on a hand-held cell phone since the first round of observations in March 2015, according to Wolf. "It has become all too common to see people driving while looking at their phones," state DOT Commissioner Joseph Giulietti said in a news release. "People know that texting and driving is extremely dangerous and illegal, but they continue to do it anyway. These habits are putting motorists and passengers, pedestrians, bikers, and all road users at risk. Every driver in Connecticut has a responsibility to drive safe." According to Wolf, Connecticut law prohibits the use of any hand-held mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle. Drivers who are 16 or 17 years of age are prohibited from using a cell phone or mobile device at any time, even with a hands-free accessory. In addition to being dangerous, violating Connecticut's distracted driving laws can also be costly, Wolf said. Drivers who are ticketed are fined $200 for the first offense, $375 for the second offense and $625 for the third and subsequent offenses. The DOT and Westport police urge drivers to put their phone down when they get behind the wheel. If you are driving a vehicle and need to text, pull over and park the vehicle in a safe place first, Wolf said. More information can be found at distraction.gov.