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April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

The Towson University Police Department is teaming up with the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to reach all drivers with an important warning: “Park The Phone, Before You Drive”. From April 1 to April 30, 2019, law enforcement officers will be out in force looking for distracted drivers, and issuing tickets to anyone caught texting while driving as part of the national distracted driving enforcement campaign.

Texting and driving is one of the most dangerous forms of distracted driving. Every year, more than 27,000 people are injured or killed on Maryland’s roads because of distracted driving crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, sending or reading a text 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.

Driving while distracted is more than just personally risky. When you text and drive, you become a danger to everyone on the road around you. The best way to not get busted for texting while driving is to never do it in the first place. Always put your phone away prior to driving and save yourself the experience of being pulled over and possibly receiving a citation and fine of $70.00 to $160.00 and 1 to 3 points on your license.

The Towson University Police and the NHTSA urge you to put your phone down when you get behind the wheel. If you need to text, pull over and park your vehicle first.

The Park the Phone campaign is intended to educate our community about the dangers of a leading cause of driver distractions – Cell Phones.

For more information, please visit  distracted driving website or towards zero death website.

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Categorised in: General

This post was written by Ghosh, Ipsita*