FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, October 18, 2010

Commissioner David J. Swarts of the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and Chair of the Governor's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC), along with members of the City of Syracuse Police Department, New York State Police and the Onondaga Sheriff's Department announced today that 2,183 tickets were issued between October 4 and October 17 for talking on a cell phone or texting while driving in Syracuse. The enforcement period represents the third wave of the Distracted Driving Enforcement Project (DDEP) that was launched in the city last April by federal, state, and law enforcement officials.

"As we move closer to the conclusion of this demonstration project, it is evident how serious an issue distracted driving continues to be," said Commissioner Swarts. "I am pleased with the dedication of our law enforcement partners in this joint effort to deter distracted driving and ultimately change these unsafe behaviors."

This represents the third DDEP wave to be conducted in the city. The first enforcement period in April resulted in 2,300 tickets being issued. The second wave resulted in more than 2,100 tickets issued in July. The campaign entitled "Phone in One Hand. Ticket in the Other", utilizes increased law enforcement efforts combined with effective public education to remind drivers to put down their cell phones and focus on driving. The campaign is similar to other national campaign models such as "Click it or Ticket" and "Over the Limit. Under Arrest".

"The success of this program illustrates that law enforcement can have a profound impact on driver behavior," said Syracuse Police Chief Frank Fowler. "Society demands safe streets. We will continue to do our part in meeting this goal."

In 2009, nearly 5,500 people were killed nationwide and more than 440,000 were injured in crashes involving a distracted driver. In New York state, at least one in five crashes has distracted driving listed as a contributing factor. Using a cell phone while driving, delays a driver's reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08 percent, equivalent to driving drunk.

"The third wave illustrated for us that the need for enforcement is still very strong," said New York State Police Captain Jeffrey Raub. "We will continue to aggressively target this dangerous behavior in pursuit of making our highways as safe as possible."

"This third wave of enforcement has proven that motorists are becoming more attentive to the dangers of distracted driving," said Onondaga Sheriff Kevin Walsh. "With continued cooperative efforts and educational campaigns we can further improve highway safety."

The DDEP was launched in Syracuse on April 8 by Governor David A. Paterson, United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, Commissioner Swarts and members of the City of Syracuse Police Department, New York State Police and the Onondaga Sheriff's Department. Syracuse, and Hartford, Connecticut, were the only two cities in the country chosen by the U. S. Department of Transportation as the recipients of a $300,000 federal grant to target distracted driving during four high visibility enforcement waves. The results of the project will be used to develop a national model for combating distracted driving. The fourth and final public awareness and enforcement wave is scheduled for April 2011.

In addition to tickets issued for talking on a cell phone and texting while driving, the three agencies also handed out 2,156 tickets for other traffic infractions during the enforcement wave.

For more information on distracted driving, please visit www.safeny.com or www.distraction.gov.