Failure to follow traffic laws costly in many ways

A lot of people these days refuse to follow even the most basic of traffic laws and laws of common courtesy.

A lot of people these days simply refuse to follow even the most basic of traffic laws, as well as the basic laws of common courtesy.

Perhaps you, too, have noticed the lack of respect and compliance with simple traffic laws that are in place to protect people and keep roads safe.

We see it all the time. People driving with their eyes off the road and on their cell phones or so engrossed in their phones, a beep of the horn is necessary to get them moving at traffic lights. Drivers blow through red lights and stop signs, ignore the flashing red lights of school buses and endanger children and speed through crosswalks where people are walking.

Some drivers are so impatient and rude, they either attempt to hurry people crossing streets at traffic lights by inching closer with their vehicles or swerve around them with a squeal of the wheels.

And it seems for some, not even high fines for texting or talking on cell phones — which range from $150 for a first offense, $300 for a second and $500 for each subsequent violation — is a deterrence.

According to Aaron Swanson, distracted driving project manager for the state’s Highway Safety Office, there are 11 million “instances” of texting and talking on cell phones each day on Connecticut roads.

This year, law enforcement officials in Connecticut have held two “U Text, U Drive, U Pay” campaigns: One during May and another in August.

In May, police wrote tickets to 1,783 people in Greater New Haven. In August, another 1,442 were handed out for a total of 3,225 tickets in the New Haven area alone during that period.

State police say a total of 12,500 tickets were written statewide in the May crackdown; they are still crunching numbers for the August campaign but say it could be up to 8,000.

The most obvious cost of distracted driving, of course, is the toll in human lives. According to the federal government, in 2013, 3,154 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers. Another 424,000 were injured. But there is a high hidden cost to taxpayers for offenses like texting or talking on cell phones while driving — and maybe lost opportunities.

Each year, Connecticut spends millions and the federal government sends millions more to help combat misdemeanors.

This year, the state has received $4.6 million from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for distracted driving programs and an application for similar funds is pending, according to Swanson.

So, a lot of money is being spent to rein in people who disregard basic laws.

But one thing isn’t being considered: What else could the state of Connecticut or cities and towns have done with the money? How about more playgrounds, athletic fields and repairs to parks; school supplies, technology devices and pre-K classes; shoring up food pantries and strengthening community centers and libraries — not to mention crucial social and health programs that are being underfunded, such as mental health services, community health centers and re-entry programs.

While it’s true the funding sent to police is earmarked for specific law enforcement-related programs and must be spent accordingly, we wonder what if the federal government didn’t have to fund these programs and could direct that funding elsewhere?

Swanson said it is tough to change people’s behavior behind the wheel, and curbing distracted driving will be a longterm effort. But he notes the success of “Click it or Ticket,” which has produced a highcompliance seat-belt rate, and incidents of drunken-driving have declined since tough laws were passed decades ago and combined with public-awareness campaigns.

He said the state is starting to see some benefits from “U Text, U Drive, U Pay,” which has shown an 8 percent decline in incidents.

We can all do our part by paying attention and exercising some patience behind the wheel.

In May, police wrote tickets to 1,783 people in Greater New Haven. In August, another 1,442 were handed out for a total of 3,225 tickets in the New Haven area alone during that period. State police say a total of 12,500 tickets were written statewide in the May crackdown.