Distracted Driving Campaign Kicks Off Again In Monroe

The Monroe Police Department, along with the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office, announced on Wednesday the continuation of their distracted driving campaign.

The “U DRIVE. U TEXT. U PAY.” initiative is an effort to crackdown on motorists who choose to text, talk or otherwise distract themselves from the task of driving by using a hand-held mobile phone.

According to surveys conducted before and after April’s crackdown, there was an eight percent drop in mobile phone use by drivers at locations throughout municipalities where police conducted enforcement.

The campaign will run from Aug. 3-16 and marks the second time this year the campaign will take place.

The last campaign conducted in April resulted in nearly 16,000 citations issued to motorists. Over 50 law enforcement agencies including both state and local police are again participating in this operation to keep the state’s roads safe.

Under Connecticut’s cell phone and texting law, violations involve heavy fines, ranging from $150 for a first offense, $300 for a second violation, and $500 for each subsequent violation.

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