Maya McFadden Photo
Justin Elicker, Dave Stratton, Oscar Diaz, Stephan Torquati, Rafael Ramirez, Renee Dominguez at Friday presser..
New Haven Police Department has a terse warning for people steering vehicles through city streets: “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.”
Top cops and the mayor issued that warning Friday morning from a lot filled with dozens of totaled cars involved in serious local accidents to underscore the price of distracted driving.
Interim Police Chief Renee Dominguez, Mayor Justin Elicker, and New Haven Police Traffic Commander Lt. Stephan Torquati spoke at the New Haven Police Training Facility and Garage at 710 Sherman Parkway to kick off a national campaign; police departments have received grants for initiatives this months to crack down on texting and driving.
The police department’s Traffic Enforcement Unit assiggned a stop-texting-and-driving team of officers to six pre-designated areas in city.
New Haven police garage full of cars wrecked in city accidents.
Over the past year the department’s unit has applied for grant funds to pay for extra officer shifts focused on enforcing speed click it or ticket, and distracted driving.
Elicker advised drivers to store their phones before driving and to hold their peers accountable to keep New Haven roadways safe.
He reported that there were 6,000 vehicular accidents in town in 2021. He reminded that fatal crashes can happen in an instant for drivers, cyclist, and pedestrians.
“It is just not worth it,” Elicker said.
He advised drivers to pull over when texting to avoid texting violations that can result in $200 tickets for first offenses, $375 for second offenses, and $625 for third offenses.
The “U Drive. U Text. U Pay” national enforcement campaign kicked off just in time for April, which is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Torquati; "Pull over. That call, that text, that tweet, that like, it can wait."
The campaign includes both “heightened traffic enforcement” and education, Torquati said.
He reported that of 6,000 collisions in 2021, 4,245 resulted in injuries and 19 resulted in fatalities.
“We hope to write no tickets” this month because people follow the rules, Torquati said.
Officers Rafael Ramirez, Oscar Diaz, and Dave Stratton joined the Friday announcement as members of the stop-texting-and-driving team.
During the previous enforcement effort in the fall, 160 citations for distracted driving were issued, Torquati reported.
Torquati offered drivers this advice: “Pull over. That call, that text, that tweet, that like, it can wait.”
U TEXT U DRIVE I GET HURT/KILLED. People are sick and tired of the mayhem on our roads and in our cities. Pols would do well to start enforcing laws. I will vote for any law and order candidate in any election and I am not alone feeling like enough is enough with crime and chaos.