April is Nationwide Distracted Driving Consciousness Month. Here is what police might be looking out for all month lengthy in Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“Put that telephone away, and textual content once you get to your vacation spot,” mentioned Tpr. Nathan Branosky with Pennsylvania State Police Troop M.
Branosky says troopers in Pennsylvania have been handing out extra citations for texting and driving in recent times.
This vacation weekend, Branosky says they’re going to be cracking down on that and every thing else that distracts drivers.
“We’ll have extra troopers out on the highway that is focusing on aggressive drivers which are texting whereas they’re driving,” he mentioned.
All all through April, throughout Nationwide Distracted Driving Consciousness Month, Pennsylvania and New Jersey are collaborating in a marketing campaign to encourage of us to maintain each fingers on the wheel and eyes on the highway.
“It isn’t value studying the textual content that might in the end result in harming another person on the roadway or harming your self,” Branosky mentioned.
“Folks die,” Judy Rivera, who lives in Bethlehem, mentioned. “I’ve even misplaced family members from that as nicely.”
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 mentioned. “And certainly one of my aunts was coming again late evening, and he simply smacked full pressure proper into her automobile.”
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, carrying headphones whereas driving, careless driving and reckless driving.
In New Jersey, police will particularly be on the lookout for these texting whereas driving.
In 2022, a crackdown on distracted driving yielded greater than 8,000 citations for cellphone use or texting, and nearly 4,000 citations for careless driving.
Based on the Nationwide Freeway Site visitors Security Administration, distracted driving killed greater than 3,000 folks in 2020. That averages out to 9 folks per day.
Drivers who spoke with 69 Information say they’re comfortable police are cracking down on distracted driving this month.
“Your consideration needs to be on the highway utterly,” mentioned August Darrow, of Allentown. “And you already know, this telephone takes consideration away, and also you’re within the telephone, naturally. And earlier than you already know, it there will be numerous accidents.”
In New Jersey, fines for utilizing a handheld cellphone 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.