Westport Police Launches Distracted Driving Enforcement Campaign

The following announcement is from the Westport Police Department:

WESTPORT, CT — The Westport Police Department is participating in the Connecticut Department of Transportation’s high visibility distracted driving enforcement campaign. In partnership with State and local law enforcement and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the campaign will increase efforts to enforce distracted-driving laws. This campaign will run from October 15th to October 31st, 2022.

Distracted driving is an activity that diverts attention from driving and even a momentary
distraction can lead to disastrous results. In 2020, according to the NHTSA, distracted driving
was a factor in over 8 percent of fatal car crashes. Further, the NHTSA reported that roughly 20 percent of injuries occurring in motor vehicle accidents involved distracted driving.

Connecticut law prohibits the use of any hand-held mobile device while operating a motor
vehicle. Drivers who are currently 16 or 17 years old are prohibited from using a cell phone or
mobile device at any time, even hands free.

Violating Connecticut’s distracted-driving laws can also be very costly. Drivers who are
ticketed are fined $200.00 for the first offense, $375.00 for the second offense, and $625.00 for
the third and subsequent offenses.

The Connecticut Department of Transportation along with the Westport Police urges you to put
your phone down when you get behind the wheel. Should you need to use your phone prior to
reaching your destination, please pull over to a safe location first.