State police issued more than 2,200 citations for distracted driving in April
More than 2,200 drivers were nabbed for distracted driving last month by Massachusetts State Police.
Police stepped up their efforts to find and ticket distracted drivers over a three-week-long campaign in April. State police issued 2,224 citations, up from 1,993 citations during last year’s campaign, according to the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety.
“We’re very happy with the way the campaign went,” said Jeff Larason, director of the state’s highway safety bureau. “We’re happy there was as much attention drawn to this very dangerous issue.”
In 2014, there were 3,179 people killed and 431,000 injured in car crashes involving distracted drivers, according to distraction.gov.
About 140 Massachusetts police departments took part in the campaign, which was funded by a $622,000 grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Officers looked for drivers holding devices, wearing headphones, and looking down at their phones, among other things.
Police say drivers found guilty of distracted driving face a $100 fine for a first offense, even if the vehicle is stopped in traffic. Teen drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using phones at all while driving, even to make calls. Teens under 18 caught using a phone behind the wheel are fined $100, must take a driving attitudinal course, and face a 60-day license suspension.
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