HoCo Police to Crack Down on Distracted Driving

HOWARD COUNTY, MD – Drivers who are texting while behind the wheel, be forewarned: The Howard County Police Department will be on the lookout for you this month.

April is Distracted Driving Month, an awareness-raising campaign sponsored by the National Safety Council.

To do its part, the Howard County Police Department will be conducting distracted driving enforcement details throughout the month, and so will other law enforcement agencies statewide.

“Driving a motor vehicle is a privilege that requires a person’s full attention at all times,” Howard County Police Chief Gary L. Gardner said in a statement.

"Taking your eyes off the road, even for a matter of seconds, can have dire consequences to you, your passengers and others on the road," Gardner said. "No text or phone call while driving is worth your life, or someone else’s.”

More than 3,100 people were killed in distracted driving crashes in 2014, the most recent year for which data is available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Drivers ages 15 to 19 were those most likely to be distracted at the time of a crash.