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Sheriff's Patrols to Focus on Unfocused Drivers
County Sheriff's deputies will be joining with the New York State Police and local police departments in stepping up their enforcement efforts to curb acts of distracted driving. During the week of August 26th, the Sheriffs Office and local police departments will be joining efforts with law enforcers across New York State in an initiative entitled, "Taking Action against Driver Distraction."
A 2006 study found that almost 80% of accidents and 65% of near-crashes happened within three seconds of some kind of driver distraction. According to published reports, each year over six million traffic crashes are attributed to such distractions. A related statistic indicates that talking on the telephone while driving increases a motorist's odds of being involved in a crash four-fold.
Experts say that talking on the phone compromises a driver's attention, diverts focus off the road and delays a reaction time. When factored together with driving inexperience, the risks posed by telephone use are even worse for teenaged drivers, who are generally among the most avid users of mobile telephones.
The use of a hand-held mobile telephone while driving is just one kind of dangerous distraction that patrols will be watching for. They will also be on the lookout for drivers who drive without at least one hand on the steering wheel, have on more than one earphone for an electronic device, have a television on within the driver's view and similar violations.
Deputies will stop and issue a ticket to violators, which could result in a fine of up to $100, plus a $50 state surcharge. Sheriff Smith stated the goal of the initiative: "Through education and enforcement, we are hoping to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving, to encourage more responsible phone use and safer driving habits overall."
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