Elmhurst Police Department issued the following announcement on Apr 1.
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Elmhurst Police Department is partnering with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police, and numerous local law enforcement agencies throughout the State of Illinois to remind motorists to avoid using their phones while driving.
Over the past decade, distracted driving has become one of the leading causes of crashes on our roads. Texting while driving distracts a driver visually, manually, and cognitively.
Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off of the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving blind at 55 miles per hour for the length of an entire football field. Motorists can expect to see increased patrols and enforcement zones across Illinois throughout the month, and Elmhurst police will be citing drivers who are texting or using cellphones while on the road.
It s now been about a year and a half since Maine s Distracted Driving law went into effect prohibiting the use of handheld phones. According to the Bangor Police Department, we re struggling to change our bad habits.
WGME reports of comments made by Sgt. Wade Betters saying that it s still common for Bangor PD to spot drivers using their phones while driving either texting or making a phone call.
Even when at a stop sign, red light, or otherwise stopped in traffic, using an electronic device is still prohibited.
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It is recommended that people either sync their phone to the Bluetooth in their vehicles if the vehicle is a newer model or purchasing a Bluetooth device that provides similar capabilities to do hands-free calls and texting.
New April campaign against distracted driving launches in NJ
The New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety is kicking off National Distracted Driving Awareness Month by introducing a new, statewide campaign that will be showing up during the next few weeks in social media posts, radio advertisements, Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike rest stops, and even supermarkets.
It s called Take Control Of Your Destiny, and visually consists of colorfully decorated steering wheels, meant to signify what is uniquely important about each New Jersey driver s journey through life.
The slogan: You Have Places To Go. Don t Drive Distracted.
HTS Director Eric Heitmann said when drivers put their cell phones down, they will be better able to see what lies ahead of them both literally and metaphorically.
Put Down the Phone! Distracted Driving Patrols Coming 4-1
The Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) released information Wednesday March 31 that beginning April 1st, distracted driving emphasis patrols are amping up.
At least 130 agencies across Washington will be participating, and these patrols will last through April 19th. The agencies in our area include:
Benton County Sheriff s Office
Franklin County Sheriff s Office
Kennewick Police Department
went up from 6.8 percent to 9.4 percent; rates used to be about 1 in ten, now it s 1 in every five. This data came from law enforcement observation, enforcement (traffic stops) and actual crashes (accidents).
This counters a long time trend of gradual reductions in distracted driving. After new penalties were enacted regarding cellphone and digital device use behind the wheel a few years ago, rates began to drop.
What every Michigan driver should know about distracted driving
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Shutterstock photo (Provided by The Sam Bernstein Law Firm)
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It may be tempting to read that text, but is it worth your life?
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, an opportune time to learn about the dangerous practice that kills at least nine people every day and injures more than 100.