Stamford police beginning 2-week crackdown on distracted driving

“The Stamford Police Department is encouraging drivers to avoid any and all distractions — including cell phones, reading of papers or programming your GPS navigation while driving — and focus, instead, on driving.” Stamford Assistant Police Chief Tom Wuennemann

STAMFORD — City police officers have embarked on a two-week crackdown on distracted driving in cooperation with a statewide effort to curb accidents caused by inattentive driving.

Assistant Chief Tom Wuennemann said since the advent of smartphones and other mobile devices, distracted driving has become the leading cause of crashes on the nation’s roadways.

“The Stamford Police Department is encouraging drivers to avoid any and all distractions — including cell phones, reading of papers or programming your GPS navigation while driving — and focus, instead, on driving,” he said.

City police officers will be conducting the education and enforcement campaign — dubbed “U Drive. U Text. U Pay” — through Oct. 15.

“The goal is saving lives with stepped-up enforcement efforts that catch distracted drivers and enforce distracted driving laws,” Wuennemann said.

The added enforcement is funded by a grant from the state Department of Transportation, Office of Highway Safety.

Traffic Enforcement Unit Sgt. Jeffrey Booth said distracted driving has been the cause of several serious crashes in the city.

“Distracted driving doesn’t just mean being on the phone. It’s also people driving with pets on their laps, reading papers, eating something that requires two hands, applying makeup and a host of other activities,” he said. “We are asking drivers to please pay attention to the road and the operation of their vehicles.”

The effort comes after a wave of driving enforcement actions in August that resulted in almost 400 tickets written for various types of distracted driving.

“It seems that, every day, you can look out of your car windows and see a driver using their cell phone, reading something, personal grooming, or attending to a pet,” said Wuennemann. “Distracted driving has caused a multitude of property damage and injurycausing crashes in our community. Any non-driving activity that you engage in while driving can pose as a distraction and increase your risk of being involved in a crash.”

Violating Connecticut’s distracted driving laws can be costly, with fines between $150 for a first offense up to $600 for multiple offenders.

Wuennemann suggested taking several steps for a safe driving experience, including making sure your car is parked before using your cell phone; pulling over to a safe location if expecting or needing to send a message; and asking a passenger to use your phone to respond to calls or messages.

More than 40 law enforcement agencies across the state are participating in the campaign.