Distracted driving

You cannot drive safely without your full attention on the road. Distracted driving is any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, using social media, eating and drinking, talking to people in your vehicle, fiddling with the stereo or navigation system, or holding a pet. There are even cases of drivers being distracted by reading a book or newspaper, watching videos or playing card games.

Of all distractions smart phone use is the most alarming. Sending or reading a text, for example, takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

By the numbers

It is difficult to fully identify the role distracted driving plays in crashes due to the way crash data is collected in Connecticut.

• In Connecticut in 2021, there were over 5,400 crashes attributed to distracted driving.
• Conservatively, 3% of all crashes, 2% of fatal crashes and four percent 4% of injury crashes in Connecticut are attributed to some form of driver distraction.

Laws

Most people know it is illegal to use hand-held cell phones or mobile electronic devices while operating a motor vehicle. But did you know…

• It’s illegal to use these devices while you are stopped in traffic or at a stop light.
• Drivers 18 and over can use phones with a hands-free accessory.
• Drivers under 18 cannot use a phone even with a hands-free accessory.
• Exceptions: emergency situations and drivers who are police officers, firefighters or ambulance drivers performing their official duties.
• Mobile electronic devices include phones, pagers, personal digital assistants, laptop computers, gaming systems, digital video players and digital cameras.

Penalties

Because distracted driving is so dangerous, Connecticut has particularly harsh penalties for offenders. Ticketed drivers are fined

• $200 for the first offense
• $375 for the second offense
• $625 for the third and subsequent offenses

Drive to save lives – what we’re doing

HSO’s public awareness campaigns seek to change dangerous behavior and coordinated with enforcement efforts by police. Enforcement officers seek out drivers actively using or looking at their phones while driving, either though assigned patrols or having a "spotter" reporting usage to an officer at a location further up the road. High visibility enforcement activities have been shown to be an effective countermeasure to increase awareness among drivers and passengers.

1. HSO’s public awareness campaigns are seen and heard by millions of Connecticut residents every year, expressing both the dangers and the legal consequences of distracted driving.
2. Campaigns include U Drive. U Text. U Pay., Painfully Obvious and Distracted to Death
3. Campaigns typically target younger drivers, the group most prone to distracted driving.
4. Advertising includes television, radio, internet, billboards and bus panels, stadium/arena signage, social media posts, streaming TV and video game placements.
5. To supplement paid advertising, we garner significant press coverage through frequent press conferences and by inviting journalists to live checkpoints and ride-alongs.

Painfully obvious

HSO’s enforcement campaign featuring traffic cam footage of real distracted driving crashes and traffic stops, dispelling the commonly held belief that police cannot see you use your phone.

Distracted to death

A provocative campaign that reveals the extent of the problem by featuring real people talking about how often they drive distracted –creating an effect that’s both absurd and chilling.