Central New York Region Among Most Ticketed in the State for Distracted Driving

New York State Police are announcing the results of their recent "Operation Hang Up" enforcement campaign to crack down on distracted drivers. The operation was conducted during the first week of April and it turns out Central New York is among the biggest violators of distracted driving.

State Police officials announced the results of the campaign Wednesday and the violations were broke down into a number of categories and violations & tickets issued were broken down by each Troop. State Police members from Troop D in Oneida gave out the third most tickets out all Troops, including the Thruway patrol.

The tickets issued were broken down into three categories, one of which was general vehicle and traffic violation tickets such as speeding. The other categories were cell phone use and texting. State Police officials say Troop D issued 121 Cell Phone tickets and 368 Texting tickets for a total of 489 total distracted driving violations. Troop D patrol gave out a total of 2,459 citations during the week-long crackdown period. You can see the full chart of results below.

I know people may be thinking why in the world they would have to hold a crackdown operation like this. State Police say, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,308 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2022 because of distracted driving. That is simply unacceptable. Among the 21,500 tickets issued during the crackdown period police say, "The tickets written were a combination of talking on a cell phone without a hands-free device, texting, or using an electronic device while driving."

We now live in an age where most newer vehicles have bluetooth inside. Use it! If your vehicle does not have that capability go out and get yourself an old fashion bluetooth earpiece device. I know they may not look that cool, but they will possibly help save you from a ticket or more importantly someone's life.