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Quogue Village Police will participate in a campaign to deter distracted driving in April.
Quogue Village Police will participate in a campaign to deter distracted driving in April. KITTY MERRILL
For baby boomers back in the day, distracted driving might have meant putting lipstick on in the rearview mirror, or fast-forwarding the eight-track trying to find a favorite Black Sabbath song.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, millennials and Gen Z motorists are the most distracted drivers, often using their cellphones to talk, text or scroll social media while driving.
To raise awareness — that is, to focus attention on the dangers of distracted driving — NHTSA launches a national campaign, “U Drive. U Text. U Pay,” and accompanying enforcement effort from April 8 to 12.
“Texting, messaging, and other forms of distracted driving are increasing habits that put everyone at risk, even those of us in law enforcement. We want drivers to focus on the most important task: hands on the wheel and eyes on the road,” said Lieutenant Daniel Hartman of the Quogue Village Police, who shared additional stats from the NHTSA this week.
In 2018, when overall motor vehicle crash fatalities declined, distraction-related driving deaths increased by 10 percent. By 2019, almost 9 percent of all driving fatalities related to distracted driving; it was the largest increase in causes of traffic deaths that year.
Young drivers ages 16 to 24 years old have been observed using handheld devices while driving at higher rates than older drivers since 2007, according to NHTSA. The administration reported that 9 percent of people killed in teen driving crashes were killed in a crash precipitated by distracted driving.
The stakes are higher for young people even where there’s no crash. Drivers with a junior or probationary license who get ticketed for illegal cellphone use while driving could have their licenses or permits suspended for 120 days after the first conviction. A second conviction? A possible revocation.
And it’s not all roses without thorns for the baby boomers, either. A ticket for driving while texting can run as high as $200, with a surcharge of $85 for the first offense, plus five driver violation points, according to the State Department of Motor Vehicles.
