172 Motorists Receive Enforcement In Distracted Driving Crackdown

During a two-week enforcement project on distracted driving, town police issued an overall 172 enforcement actions to motorists for distracted driving in general, and for the illegal use of handheld cellphones while driving, in particular.

During the enforcement campaign which ran from May 10 to May 24, police issued 128 infractions, 38 written warnings, and six verbal warnings. Infractions carry $100 fines.

During the project, police patrolled in teams in unmarked cars and patrolled alone in marked cars, focusing their work on finding motorists who were talking on handheld cellphones while driving.

Enforcement zones included state and local roads near the town center, as well as business areas and school areas.

Sergeant Christopher Vanghele said police hope that such enforcement will improve travel safety for the driving public and also will draw attention to the dangers of distracted driving.

Police enforcement of the distracted driving law will continue, he said.