In just one early fall morning, the New Castle Police Department issued 12 tickets to drivers caught using an electronic mobile device while driving.Five additional tickets were issued to drivers using a cell phone. The town’s new “Hands off the Phone and on the Wheel” campaign was launched with sobering information in mind. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has reported that texting and driving is more dangerous than drunk driving. “I can’t imagine the public response if we were reporting the arrest of 12 drunk drivers during the morning commute,” stated Town Supervisor Robert Greenstein.
New Castle Chief of Police Charles Ferry added: “Our goal is to see texting while driving as socially unacceptable as DWI. We want to be able to report that our officers are no longer observing distracted drivers. Until then NCPD’s zero-tolerance enforcement will continue to ticket drivers who choose to use hand held electronic devices while driving. Violators face a fine and 5 points on their driver’s license. Probationary and junior drivers convicted of a cell phone use or texting violation will have their license suspended for 60 days. Fines and suspensions increase for subsequent convictions.
