GEORGETOWN — Chief Donald C. Cudmore reports that the Georgetown Police Department’s Distracted Driving Enforcement Campaign resulted in over 100 motor vehicles stops and numerous citations and warnings to drivers.
From April 8-29, as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, police increased patrols throughout town to be on the lookout for distracted drivers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 10 percent of all drivers 15 to 19 years old involved in fatal crashes were reported as distracted at the time of the crashes.
Additionally, police worked to educate the community about the dangers of driving while texting, dialing or reading information on a handheld device.
Texting while driving became illegal in Massachusetts on September 30, 2010. Adult drivers who write, send, or read electronic messages or browse the Internet while driving face a $105 fine for a first offense – even if the vehicle is stopped in traffic or at a stoplight. Juvenile operators are prohibited entirely from using mobile phones and other electronic devices while driving, including making phone calls. The fine for a juvenile’s first offense is $105 and includes a 60-day license suspension and required completion of a driver attitudinal course.
“We are serious about enforcing the law to ensure drivers’ eyes remain on the road and their hands stay on the wheel,” Chief Cudmore said. “Our goal during this campaign, and going forward, is to ensure that our community remains safe at all times.”
Through the campaign, Georgetown Police conducted 22 additional hours of directed enforcement. As part of their patrols, officers made 107 motor vehicles stops.
- Total texting/distracted driving stops: 101
- Stops for other reasons: 6
Additionally, they issued:
- Two summons for suspended licenses
- Sixty-seven citations
- Forty warnings
The Georgetown Police Department was one of 202 Massachusetts law enforcement agencies that participated in the national U Drive. U Text. U Pay mobilization. The campaign was funded by a federal grant administered through the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division from the NHTSA.
