Earlier this week Connecticut Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman announced the state police’s plan to crackdown on distracted driving. In continuation of a federal pilot program, both Connecticut and New York will be sending out state and local police in full force the first two weeks of April, looking for drivers using handheld phones.
Use of a handheld phone while driving is illegal in Connecticut – and has been for the last six years. But despite the law, it seems that many Connecticut drivers continue to talk and text on handheld devices while behind the wheel.
In early April, state and local police will be stopping drivers who are talking on handheld phones or texting while driving. And drivers will no longer be driving away with just a warning. “There are higher fines that are going to be given out,” said Wyman. “We’re no longer going to forgive the first time that you’re caught.”
Fines might not be the only repercussions that drivers face, as officers can take away handheld cell phones from individuals who are caught using it while driving.
The goal of the crackdown is to determine whether increased enforcement will actually prevent texting while driving and, in turn, reduce car accidents due to distracted driving.
Increased enforcement efforts as part of the federal pilot began in Connecticut in 2010. In the last year, law enforcement officers in Hartford, West Hartford and East Hartford have cited 6,900 drivers for talking on cell phones and another 348 drivers for texting.
Source: Conn. police to crack down on distracted driving; Connecticut Cracking Down on Cell Phone Drivers