Montgomery County Police, along with officers from Rockville and Takoma Park, announced Wednesday morning that they are conducting an all-out effort to curb distracted driving this month.
The campaign coincides with April marking National Distracted Month.
“[Distracted driving] is not just a bad habit, it’s a deadly one,” said Montgomery Police Captain Warren Jensen, who heads the county’s traffic operations division. “If you are behind the wheel, your only message is to drive.”
According to Jenson, people driving 55 miles per hour who take their eyes off the road for five seconds have “traveled the length of a football field essentially blindfolded.”
During the month, police said they plan to be stopping, educating and ticketing distracted drivers. The fine for distracted driving is $83, but can rise as high as $5,000 and one year in jail if the driver caused a serious injury.
So far this year, there have been 12 fatalities on county roads, which does not include the major state highways.
“Nearly half the collision in Maryland involve distracted driving, Jensen said. Drivers who text are 20 times more likely to crash, he noted.
Added Rockville City Police Chief Jason West, “We are committed to highway safety. We are here as a united front.”
Areas especially targeted include Georgia Avenue south of Route 200, New Hampshire Avenue south of Route 20 and University Boulevard between Georgia Avenue and Route 650.
Other state law enforcement agencies involved include the Maryland State Police, Maryland Transportation Authority, Maryland National Capital Park and Planning Police and Maryland Natural Resources Police.
Listen below to the news conference.
