Police to Drivers: Hang Up Your Phone

If you are one of those drivers who constantly has one hand on the steering wheel and the other hand at your ear with a cell phone, the Rockland Sheriff's Department is on the look out for you.

Captain William Barbera said Sheriff's officers have kicked off an effort to make the roads safer by targeting distracted drivers and aggressive drivers. He said officers will be specifically looking for motorists who are too busy with their phones to obey the rules of the road.

"With more portable technology now than ever, driver distractions have risen to unprecedented numbers," Barbera said. "We live in a world where people expect instant, real time information 24 hours-a-day and those desires do not stop just because people get behind the wheel. Drivers simply do not realize the dangers that are posed when they take their eyes and minds off the road and their hands off the wheel and focus on activities other than driving."

One of the most commonly recognized distractions is cell phone use, Barbera said, noting that drivers who use hand-held devices while driving are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves or others.

Barbera said the Sheriff's Police Division, based in New City, will be stepping up enforcement efforts throughout June against distracted and aggressive driving. Patrols will be targeting offenses such as

• Speeding
• Tailgating
• Red light and stop/yield sign running
• Unsafe lane changes
• Distracted driving (emphasis on cell phone usage without hands free devices)

This increased patrol is  funded by a grant  from the Governor's Traffic Safety Counsel.