Troopers On Lookout For Distracted Driving In Maryland

Drivers who are distracted will have the attention of Maryland State Police this month in particular.

Troopers are under instructions to conduct special distracted driving enforcement operations throughout April, which is Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

Distracted driving includes but is not limited to the following activities, according to police:

• Texting
• Using a handheld cell phone
• Grooming
• Using a navigation system
• Reading
• Watching a video
• Adjusting a radio or other entertainment device

When drivers are distracted, they can unknowingly drift into dangerous behavior such as driving in more than one lane, following too closely or not slowing down to avoid a crash, according to police.

More than 31,100 people are injured each year in crashes in Maryland annually because of distracted driving, according to Maryland State Police.

“Jake’s Law,” which took effect in 2014, calls for a $5,000 fine and up to three years in prison for drivers who cause a serious or fatal crash while using a cellphone.

How To Prevent Distracted Driving

Drivers: Keep eyes on the road ahead. Leave hands on the steering wheel. Steer thoughts to driving and traffic conditions. Do not hold and use the phone while driving. Pull off to the side of the road if you have to make a call. If the phone will be a temptation, put it in the trunk or backseat.

Passengers: Offer to send texts or make calls for the driver, not letting him/her use the phone behind the wheel. Also help watch the road.

Police across the country will be ramping up enforcement of distracted driving prevention because it is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, sponsored by the National Highway Safety Council. The Maryland Highway Safety Office funds the specialized patrols at the 23 barracks statewide.

Authorities remind drivers that texting or using a handheld phone are primary offenses that can result in someone being pulled over in the state of Maryland.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the largest group of distracted drivers is in the age group younger than 20 years old.

Police said the following in a statement:

Texting is still what experts call the ‘most alarming distraction’ because it involves visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver. For more information, please visit www.distraction.gov.

It has been estimated that a person texting takes his or her eyes off the road for an average of five seconds when texting. This is like covering the length of a football field while driving blindfolded, if you are driving at 55 mph. Drivers are often unaware that diverting attention from the road can unconsciously lead to unsafe driving behavior, such as failure to drive in a single lane, following too close, or failing to reduce speed to avoid a traffic crash.

Drivers should eliminate any activity while driving that diverts their eyes from the road ahead, their hands from the steering wheel, or their thoughts from being aware of the traffic conditions ahead and around them.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.