Distracted Driving Crackdown Through This Weekend In New York

New York State Police announced they and local cops are participating in a statewide crackdown on distracted driving as part of April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. This year’s enforcement detail runs April 12 - 16.

The enforcement effort, called Operation Hang Up, will include increased patrols and checkpoints targeting drivers using electronic devices while behind the wheel. Starting Thursday, troopers will be using both marked and unmarked cars as part of the operation in order to more easily identify motorists who are using handheld devices while driving.

State officials note a more than 1,100 percent increase in tickets for texting while driving in New York from 2011 to 2017, including a 20 percent increase from 2016 to 2017. While hands-free technology in vehicles has resulted in a steady decline in the number of tickets issued for cell phone use, the increased use of smartphones has caused texting tickets to rise every year since 2011.

“Motorists who disregard the law and the dangers of using a smartphone while driving could face stiff penalties," State Police Superintendent George P. Beach II said in a press release. "Our Troopers will be highly visible and vigilant in our enforcement efforts, as we seek to eliminate the tragedies caused by distracted driving.”

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nationwide in 2016, 3,450 people were killed in crashes caused by distracted driving. In addition, according to a study conducted by the Institute for Traffic Safety Management and Research, in 2015, 160 persons were killed and more than 33,000 persons were injured in crashes in New York that had “driver inattention/distraction” reported as a contributing factor. The same report noted that 21 to 22 percent of police-reported fatal and personal injury crashes had “driver inattention/distraction” reported as a contributing factor each year.

The goal of the Operation Hang Up campaign is to enforce the law and raise awareness and deter distracted driving. During the April 2017 Operation Hang Up campaign, State Police issued more than 16,000 tickets, including 2,116 tickets for distracted driving. The tickets written were a combination of talking on a cell phone without a hands free device, texting, or using an electronic device while driving.

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