12 Drivers Caught Texting in New Castle This Morning

The New Castle Police Department issued 12 tickets to drivers caught using an electronic mobile device while driving. Five additional tickets were issued to drivers using a cell phone.

The tickets were issued this morning during the same hours that children were being driven to their schools, said Town Supervisor Rob Greenstein in a statement announcing the tickets.

“The number of drivers caught using electronic devices is frightening when you consider that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported that texting and driving is more dangerous than drunk driving,“ he said. “I can’t imagine the public response if we were reporting the arrest of 12 drunk drivers during the morning commute.”

Today’s police action is part of a new program conceived by town officials and Chappaqua residents Ben and Debbie Lieberman, who lost their 19-year-old son Evan in 2011 following a car collision caused by distracted driving. The Liebermans have since set up an nonprofit called D.O.R.C.s, which is short for Distracted Operators Risk Casualties, and which has a pithy motto: Keep the DORCs off the Road.

The local initiative includes banners, magnets and decals all over town and a “zero tolerance policy” for distracted drivers. Police enforcement details began Sept. 29.

“Our goal is to see texting while driving as socially unacceptable as DWI,” said New Castle Police Chief Charles Ferry. “We want to be able to report that our officers are no longer observing distracted drivers. Until then NCPD’s zero-tolerance enforcement will continue to ticket drivers who choose to use hand held electronic devices while driving.”

Violators face a fine and 5 points on their drivers license. Probationary and junior drivers convicted of a cell phone use or texting violation will have their license suspended for 60 days. Fines and suspensions increase for subsequent convictions.