Governor Rell Announces Start of Statewide Crackdown

on Drivers Using Cell Phones

            Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced the start of a statewide crackdown on distracted driving in Connecticut, especially drivers who violate the state’s law banning the use of hand-held cellular telephones.

            With the summer driving season beginning, the Connecticut State Police and police departments across Connecticut are joining together for stronger enforcement of the 2005 law that bars the use of cell phones and other hand-held electronic devices by drivers. Under the law, drivers over the age of 18 are permitted to use cell phones with hands-free devices, while drivers under the age of 18 are forbidden to use cell phones or other electronic devices of any kind, even with hands-free accessories.

            “Last year the State Police gave out 10,000 tickets for violations of the cell phone law – but wherever I go, distracted driving is one of the most common complaints I hear,” Governor Rell said during a news conference at a rest area on Interstate 91 near Middletown. “The greatest complaint of all is that – four years after the law took effect – people continue to flaunt the restriction on cell phone use. We’re going to ‘hang up’ on people who use their cell phones while at the wheel.

            “Starting over the next two days and continuing through the summer, we are launching a new campaign – ‘Hang Up or Pay Up.’ And it won’t just be the State Police enforcing this crackdown – municipal police departments across Connecticut are joining the effort.

            “State and local police officers will be targeting high-crash areas and keeping a sharp lookout for drivers who violate the cell phone law,” the Governor said. “The purpose is simple: We want to reduce the number of distracted drivers. Distracted driving is the cause of far too many crashes – crashes that are easily preventable. The only thing more tragic than a crash that injures or kills someone is an injury or fatality that could have been prevented.”

            Governor Rell stressed that the campaign against distracted driving will run through the coming months. “Habitual violators of the cell phone law are warned: This effort will be sustained,” she said.