U Drive. U Text. U PAY!

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U Drive. U Text. U PAY!

Category : Enforcement

(Source: Van Buren 911 Dispatch)

Van Buren County is Ready to Crack Down on Texting-Law Violators. During Third National Texting Enforcement Crackdown
Michigan Law Enforcement Joins National Anti-Texting Effort to Save Lives.

During April, law enforcement officers will be stepping up patrols for motorists who text while driving. The national U Drive. U Text. U Pay. High-visibility enforcement campaign has two goals: conduct enforcement of anti-texting laws and advertise these efforts with media and social media outreach to make drivers aware of the enforcement and encourage them to obey the law.

“Driving and texting is not only dangerous and irresponsible – it’s illegal,” said Sheriff Daniel E. Abbott. “Drivers who break our state’s texting law will be stopped and cited.

Texting while driving is especially dangerous because it involves the three main types of distraction:

* Visual – taking your eyes off the road.
* Manual – taking your hands off the wheel.
* Cognitive – taking your mind off the task of driving.

Michigan’s texting law prohibits drivers from reading, manually typing or sending a text message while driving. Violating the texting law can be costly. Drivers convicted of a first offense can be fined $100; subsequent offenses are $200.

Distracted driving statistics paint a grim picture. In 2014, an estimated 3,179 people were killed nationwide and an additional 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

According to a 2014 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the risk of a crash or near-crash among novice drivers increased with the performance of many secondary tasks, including texting and dialing cell phones.