April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and you can expect police departments in our area will be cracking down on drivers endangering public safety.

This month police will be taking part in a statewide campaign called “U Drive. U Text. U Pay,” sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, targeting anyone choosing to text, talk or distract themselves with a cell phone.

Motorists can expect extra patrols, spotters and stationary police vehicles prominently placed around the town. You can also expect police elsewhere to crack down on distracted driving this month.

Under Connecticut’s cell phone and texting law, violations involve heavy fines, ranging from $150 for first offense, $300 for second offense, and $500 for each subsequent violation. We also created a first-in-the-nation system that allows offenses to affect the violator’s car insurance premium.

An estimated 1 in 4 car crashes involve cell phones, according to the National Safety Council, and 34 percent of teen drivers have admitted to texting while driving; 52 percent have said they have talked on the phone. Ten percent of drivers under the age of 20 involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crash.

Although the most recent numbers show distracted driving-related deaths have decreased nationwide, the number of deaths – 3,328 in 2012 – is still too high.

Please do not drive distracted – not this month, not ever. It is unsafe and endangers both fellow motorists and pedestrians. Feel free to forward this reminder along to friends, family and neighbors.

As always, please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns about state government.