MD State Police To Increase Patrols On I-95 To Catch Bad Drivers

MARYLAND — Troopers from Maryland State Police will be out in force on the Interstate 95 corridor starting Friday as part of the annual "I-95 Drive to Save Lives" enforcement initiative.

Drivers can expect to see an increased presence of state troopers along I-95 across Maryland on Friday and Saturday, the state police said. Extra officers will be out from Maine to Florida.

Maryland is one of 15 states participating in the two-day traffic safety initiative on I-95, which is taking place in Distracted Driving Awareness Month, WBAL reported.

The Delaware State Police is leading the campaign by coordinating the efforts of the other 15 state police and highway patrol agencies along I-95 to increase the totality of law enforcement presence over this 48-hour period.

Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of crashes. It is illegal to use a text messaging device to write, send, or read a text message or an electronic message while driving a vehicle on Maryland highways.

Illegally texting while driving is a primary offense, meaning that a police officer can stop a driver and enforce the law even if the driver is not committing any other offense.

A study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that some drivers do so anyway and are not aware of the "hangover effect," which comes from interacting with technology while on the road.

Researchers found drivers can experience a hangover effect where the mind stays distracted for up to 27 seconds after using smartphones or voice-to-text vehicle infotainment systems to send text messages, make phone calls, or update social media.