April is Nationwide Distracted Driving Consciousness Month. This is what police will likely be looking out for all month lengthy in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“Put that cellphone away, and textual content if you get to your vacation spot,” stated Tpr. Nathan Branosky with Pennsylvania State Police Troop M.
Branosky says troopers in Pennsylvania have been handing out extra citations for texting and driving lately.
We could discover ourselves dashing by way of this work week to get to the vacation weekend. However this weekend, we should be much more aware of dashing on these roads.
This vacation weekend, Branosky says they’re going to be cracking down on that and every little thing else that distracts drivers.
“We will have extra troopers out on the highway that is concentrating on aggressive drivers which might be texting whereas they’re driving,” he stated.
All all through April, throughout Nationwide Distracted Driving Consciousness Month, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are collaborating in a marketing campaign to encourage people to maintain each fingers on the wheel and eyes on the highway.
“It isn’t price studying the textual content that would in the end result in harming another person on the roadway or harming your self,” Branosky stated.
“Individuals die,” Judy Rivera, who lives in Bethlehem, stated. “I’ve even misplaced family members from that as properly.”
Rivera says her aunt was killed by this greater than a decade in the past.
“It was a tractor-trailer. He was truly texting,” she stated. “And one among my aunts was coming again late evening, and he simply smacked full pressure proper into her automotive.”
A brand new AAA survey discovered 81% of drivers within the U.S. are conscious of “driving focus” options on their telephones, however 51% have by no means used them.
In Pennsylvania, troopers will look out for distracted driving violations that embrace texting whereas driving, industrial drivers utilizing handheld telephones, sporting headphones whereas driving, careless driving and reckless driving.
In New Jersey, police will particularly be searching for these texting whereas driving.
In 2022, a crackdown on distracted driving yielded greater than 8,000 citations for mobile phone use or texting, and virtually 4,000 citations for careless driving.
Based on the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration, distracted driving killed greater than 3,000 individuals in 2020. That averages out to 9 individuals per day.
Drivers who spoke with 69 Information say they’re pleased police are cracking down on distracted driving this month.
“Your consideration needs to be on the highway utterly,” stated August Darrow, of Allentown. “And you realize, this cellphone takes consideration away, and also you’re within the cellphone, naturally. And earlier than you realize, it there will be a whole lot of accidents.”
In New Jersey, fines for utilizing a handheld mobile phone in any capability whereas driving are $200 to $400 for a primary offense, and will enhance to $800 plus three insurance coverage factors in later violations.
In Pennsylvania, a industrial driver utilizing a handheld cellphone might face a positive of $100. An employer who permits use of a handheld cellphone might face a positive of $500.
In the meantime, somebody texting whereas driving in Pennsylvania might face a positive of $100.