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"Grand total for 'distracted driver' program is: 508 tickets, 20 misdemeanors and six felonies," Boughton said via Twitter. "Great job DPD [Danbury Police Department]."
Danbury police along with others across Fairfield County participated in a $275,000 program funded by the federal government to stop drivers from texting.
Officers in Danbury, Ridgefield, Redding, Bethel, Brookfield, Monroe and Newtown as well as the state police conducted the highly visible campaign to enforce the state’s cellphone and texting laws.
Although texting was the main focus, officers also looked for drivers who were eating or drinking, tending to children, talking to passengers, applying makeup, using a GPS or using an MP3 player.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 3,300 people were killed across the country in 2011 due to distracted drivers, many of whom were using their phones at the time of the crash. The age group most likely to be distracted drivers is under 20 years old.
“We just want to remind our residents that we’re not doing this to harass you. We’re doing this because we want safe streets, we want you to be safe and we certainly want those around you to be safe,” Boughton said in announcing the crackdown.
In Connecticut, for a first offense for distracted driving results in a $125 ticket, the second offense is a $250 ticket and any subsequent tickets will cost the operator $400.
Read more about the announcement on the crackdown on distracted driving here in The Daily Voice.
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