Wilmington Police Join Statewide Effort to Reduce Distracted Driving Crashes

WILMINGTON, MA – You'll notice extra police patrols in Wilmington this month as part of a statewide effort to reduce distracted driving crashes.

The Wilmington Police Department is partnering with the 202 eligible local Massachusetts law enforcement agencies and the Massachusetts State Police in the national U Drive. U Text. U Pay. mobilization to crack down on texting while driving.

The campaign, which combines traditional and innovative enforcement strategies, begins on April 8 and continues through April 29. The initiative is funded by a grant administered by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Highway Safety Division (EOPSS/HSD) from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The Wilmington Police Department wants residents to know they will be out in full force enforcing the texting laws. "If you text and drive, we will see you, pull you over and fine you. We’re serious about enforcing texting laws," officials say.

Texting while driving was outlawed in Massachusetts in 2010. Adult drivers who write, send or read electronic messages or browse the Internet while driving face a $100 fine for a first offense – even if the vehicle is stopped in traffic. Teen drivers under 18 are entirely prohibited from using mobile phones and other electronic devices while driving, including to make phone calls. The fine for a juvenile first offense is $100, a 60 day license suspension, and required completion of a driver attitudinal course.

Police say these costly violations underscore the danger inherent in Distracted Driving. In 2014, across the United States, 3,179 people were killed and an additional 431,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.

A 2013 study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) found any activity that diverts a driver’s eyes from the road for two seconds or more, such as texting or using a mobile device, increases crash risk by a factor of three. This level of impairment is similar to driving drunk, with a blood alcohol concentration of .08.