Motorists from all over the country are reminded that from April 10-15, 2014, officers with the Benton Police Department will be using a combination of traditional and innovative strategies to crack down on motorists who text while driving. This effort is a part of the national U Drive. U Text. U Pay. high-visibility enforcement (HVE) campaign that combines periods of intense enforcement of anti-texting laws with advertising and media outreach to let people know about the enforcement and convince them to obey the law.
“People need to know that we are serious about stopping this deadly behavior,” said Lt. Kevin Russell. “Driving and texting has reached epidemic levels, and enforcement of our state texting law is part of the cure.”
Arkansas law prohibits texting while driving, regardless of the driver’s age. It is also a “primary offense law” which means a police officer or sheriff’s deputy can initiate a traffic stop without observing any other violation. Fines can range as high as $100.
It is also illegal for drivers to use hand-held cell phones while traveling through school or highway work zones and it’s a violation for any driver under the age of 18 to use a cell phone while operating a motor vehicle. Drivers 18 to 20 years using a cell phone are required to use a hands-free device. A violator fine can be $50 or doubled if the violation occurs in a highway work zone when workers are present.
In 2012, there were 3,328 people killed and 421,000 injured nationwide in distraction-affected crashes. The University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute reports that a quarter of teens respond to a text message once or more every time they drive, and 20 percent of teens and 10 percent of parents admit that they have extended, multi-message text conversations while driving.
“When you text while driving, you take your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off the task of driving. That puts everyone else’s lives in danger, and no one has the right to do that,” said Lt. Russell. The successes of the Click It or Ticket and Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over campaigns have proven that the combination of tough laws, targeted advertising, and high-visibility enforcement can change people’s risky traffic safety behaviors.
The U Drive. U Text. U Pay. campaign is national in scope, and States that applied and that have primary enforcement of their text messaging laws were awarded approximately $8 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to support this and other efforts designed to fight distracted driving. The national U Text. U Drive. U Pay. enforcement blitz is also supported by an $8.5 million national advertising campaign, designed to raise awareness about the enforcement effort and remind people about the deadly consequences of driving and texting.
“We’re serious about enforcing texting laws. If you drive and text, you will pay,” said Lt. Russell.
For more information, please visit www.distraction.gov
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