Bel Air Police Ramp Up Distracted Driving Patrols

BEL AIR, MD — The Bel Air Police Department will be out in force this April looking for drivers who are not paying attention to the road.

"It’s distracted driving awareness month, and our Traffic Safety Officers will be out enforcing cell phone and other distracted driver violations," the Bel Air Police Department reported Thursday morning.

Distracted driving contributes to 58 percent of all crashes in Maryland, state transportation officials say.

More than 26,000 people are injured and 181 people die each year statewide due to distracted driving, according to the Maryland Highway Safety Office. The leading causes are texting and phone use, state transportation officials say.

It is illegal to use a handheld device while driving in Maryland.

Police can stop and ticket drivers in Maryland for using a handheld cell phone, an offense that carries up to a $160 fine. Causing serious injury or death while talking or texting on a handheld cell phone may also lead to jail time and fines up to $5,000.

"Our goal is to reduce accidents, not ticket you," Bel Air police said, adding: "So like the picture says, please take a spring ‘break’ from the cell phone so nobody gets hurt!"

Throughout April, police around the country will be increasing their road presence, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has launched a campaign called U Drive. U Text. U Pay to raise awareness about the dangers of texting behind the wheel.

Law enforcement agencies and state highway safety offices will also conduct a four-hour national distracted driving enforcement and awareness initiative Thursday, April 8, to show a commitment to enforcing texting laws, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration advised.

Here are some tips to avoid distracted driving from safety officials:

• Pull over to send or receive texts.
• Keep the phone in the trunk if you can't resist looking at it.
• Designate a passenger, if you have them, to handle texts while you are driving.

Have you noticed a lot of distracted drivers around Bel Air? Tell us in the comments.