Representatives from the U.S. Department of Transportation are pretty pleased with the results of a pilot distracted driving study that recently concluded in Syracuse and Hartford according to a recent article in the USA Today. Campaigning and enforcement of distracted driving laws during a trial four-phase period seems to have reduced the number of distracted driving accidents in New York and Connecticut in the two targeted cities.
“These findings show that strong laws, combined with highly-visible police enforcement, can significantly reduce dangerous texting and cell phone use behind the wheel,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Based on these results, it is crystal clear that those who try to minimize this dangerous behavior are making a serious error in judgment, especially when half a million people are injured and thousands more are killed in distracted driving accidents.”
New York City accident lawyers know that distracted driving-related accidents claim the lives of so many people in our state and throughout the country each and every year which is why a cause for the cure is needed so desperately. Similar to drunk driving and speeding, distracted driving has become a public health concern to be reckoned with.
The program in Hartford and Syracuse was previously reported by New York Injury Lawyer Blog after preliminary results were reported.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently announced the following results of the study — of four periods throughout a year — upon reviewing observed cell phone use and public awareness surveys after each phase of the enforcement in the two cities:
- Law enforcement in Syracuse issued 9,587 tickets to distracted drivers either texting or talking on cell phones.
- Hartford law enforcement handed out 9,658 citations for texting or talking while driving behind the wheel.
- It was determined that cell phone use and texting declined in Syracuse by 33 percent because of high-visibility enforcement during each of the phases.
- Hartford drivers reduced handheld use of cell phones by 57 percent and roughly 75 percent less texting was occurring behind the wheel during the pilot phases.
“The success of these pilot programs clearly show that combining strong laws with strong enforcement can bring about a sea change in public attitudes and behavior,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “We applaud the work of the men and women of the Syracuse and Hartford police forces, and call on state legislatures, law enforcement and safety advocates across the nation to follow their lead.”
A key part of this study was not only the enforcement of distracted driving laws but public awareness that drivers would get a ticket if they were caught using a cell phone while driving. Each city put $300,000 of state and federal funds toward enforcement and awareness.
The Just Put it Down “Phone in One Hand, Ticket in the Other” Campaign was posted all throughout each city in hopes of conveying the message to all drivers that no call or text is more important than getting a ticket or saving a life.
The NHTSA claims the next step is to take a state to state approach of public awareness, tougher laws, and stricter enforcement in hopes of having the same success as the two pilot cities in reducing distracted driving accidents nationwide.
If you have been injured in a Queens or Manhattan car accident, contact the Law Offices of Nicholas Rose, PLLC for a free no-obligation appointment to discuss your case. Available 24 hours a day, you can call 1-877-313-7673 to get started right away.
Additional Resources:
Ticket-writing blitz, publicity cut distracted-driving rate, by Chris Woodyard, USA Today
Brutal Accident Remembered – NTSB Targeting Drunk Drivers in New York and Elsewhere, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, July 15, 2011
Feds Push Distracted-Driving Awareness in April – Reduction in New York Car Accidents a Goal, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, April 9, 2011
Teens and Distracted Driving Increase Risks for New York Car Accidents, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, March 19, 2011
