(file photo)

CHENANGO COUNTY - The New York State Police will participate in a national crackdown on distracted driving as part of April’s National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

The enforcement effort, called Operation Hang Up, will include increased patrols and checkpoints targeting drivers using electronic devices while behind the wheel. This year’s enforcement detail will run from Monday, April 7, through Monday, April 14.

Troopers will be using both marked state police vehicles and Concealed Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles to more easily identify motorists who are using handheld devices while driving. CITE vehicles allow the Trooper to better observe distracted driving violations.

These vehicles blend in with everyday traffic but are unmistakable as emergency vehicles once the emergency lighting is activated.

According to the  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 3,308 people were killed in the United States in distraction-affected crashes in 2022.

During the April 2024 Operation Hang Up campaign, State Police issued 21,768 tickets, including 4,056 tickets for distracted driving.

To help prevent more tragedies, NHTSA recommends the following for motorists:

If you must send or receive a text, pull over to a safe location and park your car first.

If you have passengers, appoint a “designated texter” to handle all your texting.

If you can’t resist the temptation to look at your phone, keep it in the trunk.

Current New York State law includes the following penalties for distracted drivers:

For a first offense, the minimum fine is $50 and the maximum is $200;

A second offense in 18 months increases the maximum fine to $250;

A third offense in 18 months results in a maximum fine of $450.

Probationary and junior drivers face a 120-day suspension of their license for a first offense, and one-year revocation of their permit or license if a second offense is committed within six months.

-Information from the NYSP