NoTextingWhileDriving1Valley City  (CSi) – Law enforcement agencies in North Dakota will use traditional and innovative methods to detect and cite texting drivers during April.  Enforcement teams will participate in the national high visibility enforcement campaign, U Drive. U Text. U Pay. The national enforcement effort is scheduled during the observance of Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.

Multiple vehicles and trained observers who may or may not be uniformed officers will coordinate with their agency officers to observe texting while driving violations.

Composing, reading or sending any electronic message or using a communications device to access the Internet while driving is illegal in North Dakota for drivers of all ages. Violating the state’s texting law, which became effective on August 1, 2011, can be costly. The fine is $100. The law applies to any driver of a vehicle in a traffic lane, even while stopped at a red light or in a construction zone.

“Our enforcement teams will protect travelers in our area by deploying in various parts of the community to identify and cite drivers who appear to be texting while driving,” stated Sgt. Dana Rustebakke of the Valley City Police Department.

Nationally, distracted driving statistics portray a grim picture: In 2014, an estimated 3,179 people were killed (10 percent of all crash fatalities) and an additional 431,000 were injured (18 percent of all crash injuries) in motor vehicle crashes involv­ing distracted drivers.

 

“Distracted driving crashes can be prevented, and that’s why the texting while driving law is enforced,” said Sgt. Rustebakke. “The public can help by putting their phones away while driving and asking their family, friends and coworkers to do the same.”

Participating law enforcement agencies include police departments in Bismarck, Devils Lake, Dickinson, Fargo, Grand Forks, Jamestown, Minot, Valley City and Watford City. The Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department and the University of North Dakota have also scheduled extra enforcement for texting while driving.

The North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) administers federal grant funding for texting while driving enforcement as part of an overall effort to prevent deaths and injuries on North Dakota roads.

Learn more about traffic safety initiatives at dot.nd.gov, ndcodefortheroad.org or join the conversation on the Code for the Road Facebook or Twitter page. Families are invited to create memorials for those who have died in crashes in North Dakota at ndcodefortheroad.org/memorial.