For all of April, towns across the state including Hamden are taking part in National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
For National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, The Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) announced a statewide distracted driving enforcement campaign and public awareness initiative at Hartford Police Department.
Law enforcement agencies and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) partnered up for the “Put the Phone Away or Pay” campaign. Throughout April, distracted driving enforcement will be enhanced.
For the campaign, officers around the state will have a specific focus on identifying and punishing drivers with bad habits such as texting or calling.
CTDOT will highlight the extreme dangers of distracted driving and encourage drivers to stay focused on the road.
Three thousand two hundred and seventy-five people were killed in 2023 due to distracted driving crashes. Just in Connecticut alone there were 5,202 crashes due to distracted driving in 2023. This resulted in 12 fatalities and 78 injuries, according to NHTSA.
CTDOT encourages all drivers to practice safe driving by not letting distractions take over.
Five tips they mention to avoid distracted driving is pull over if you need to make a call/ text, ask your passenger to help manage navigation/ sending messages, avoid checking your social media, limit interaction with in-vehicle technology (start music before your drive) and use your iPhone’s “Do Not Disturb While Driving” feature or just simply silence your phone to reduce temptation.
Department of Public Safety Chief Tony Reyes explained what Quinnipiac will do to take distracted driving seriously.
“On campus, our Public Safety officers patrol daily and address distracted driving and unsafe vehicle operation as part of their regular responsibilities,” Reyes wrote in an email to The Chronicle. “Their presence and engagement help support a safer environment for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers across all three campuses.”
According to Reyes, the Hamden Police Department has secured a grant.
“I also want to share that the Hamden Police Department recently secured a state grant dedicated to combating distracted driving,” Reyes wrote. “As part of that initiative, they’ve been conducting targeted enforcement throughout the city, including in the areas surrounding our campuses.”
About 25% of Quinnipiac undergraduate students either live off campus or commute.
Senior marketing major Laine Dimartinis explains the importance of distracted driving awareness month, especially for young drivers.
“There are many distracted people on the roads who tend to prioritize answering the phone, texting, eating and other activities while behind the wheel instead of being more aware of their safety and the safety of others,” Dimartinis said. “I think there needs to be more awareness around this issue.”
Dimartinis expresses how the problem stems from everyone’s addiction to their devices.
“Everyone is addicted to their cell phones,” she said. “I think mobile devices are a major distraction when driving, whether that’s changing music, answering phone calls, texting or using social media.”
She explains how the workforce is constantly answering business calls or emails while driving and believes the issue needs to be “reinforced” so distracted driving doesn’t continue.
She also believes that Hamden and Quinnipiac University should take this month seriously.
“I think teachers should be told to have a quick conversation with their students to address the topic and spark conversation,” she said. “Your life and someone else’s life are far more valuable than sending a text message.”
On the first day of distracted driving awareness month, there were two crashes alone on the Merritt Parkway. Both crashes involved car fires and one was fatal.
In the first crash, a woman veered off the road and collided with a tree. The passenger died at the scene and the driver was brought to Norwalk Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
It is possible the driver was distracted, leading her to serve off the road.
A state trooper stopped to investigate this crash. The police vehicle was parked on the parkway to block any traffic.
The trooper was not in the cruiser when another vehicle sped into the cruiser, making it catch fire. The driver was taken to Stamford Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
These crashes occurred by exit 13 in New Cannan and shut down a part of the Merritt to clear both scenes.
Distracted driving is a serious safety issue.
First-year occupational therapy major, Gabby Assignon, also believes social media is the biggest issue.
“The biggest distraction for drivers is 100% our phones,” she said. “On multiple occasions I’ve seen people watching TikTok’s or Instagram reels while driving and texting and driving is also incredibly dangerous. I once had someone compare texting and driving to you driving with your eyes closed and I found that to be incredibly eye-opening.”
Assignon explains how, as a commuter, she sees people not using turn signals and texting and driving regularly.
“I find this to be a problem for the obvious reason that it’s dangerous, as I previously mentioned, it to be very inconsiderate,” she said.
