Montgomery County cracking down on distracted driving

ROCKVILLE, Md. - Authorities in Montgomery County are cracking down on distracted driving.

Montgomery County Police and Maryland State Police began their first countywide distracted driving enforcement effort of the year Friday. A part of their Vision Zero plan, the initiative is to reduce severe and fatal collisions on county roads.

"Sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the road for about five seconds—long enough to cover a football field while driving at 55 miles per hour," said Wade Holland, Montgomery County’s Vision Zero Initiative coordinator in a statement. "Distracted drivers are a danger not only to themselves, but also to pedestrians and cyclists. We try many ways to get this message to drivers. Enforcement programs send the message very loudly."

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Officials say approximately 27,000 people are injured or killed annually in Maryland because of distracted driving crashes.

Being convicted of illegally driving while holding a cell phone in Maryland can result in an $83 fine for the first offense and a $140 fine for a second offense. Subsequent offenses could result in fines of $160.

In Maryland, penalties for writing, sending or reading a text while driving can include a $70 fine and one point on your license. Officials say a driver who causes serious injury or death while talking or texting could face up to three years in prison and be fined up to $5,000.

Montgomery County’s Vision Zero Initiative encourages drivers to do the following:

- Leave cell phones in the glovebox when entering the car so you are not tempted to make calls or answer calls and become distracted.

- Consider enabling the "Do Not Disturb" mode your phone before getting into the vehicle.

- Hold your family and friends accountable. Passengers should speak up in the car when the driver is distracted.

- Designate a passenger as the "designated texter" so the driver is not distracted.