By John Schwing

WESTPORT — They weren’t kidding.

When police launched a crackdown on distracted driving — texting and all its other variations — for the month-long “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” campaign at the start of April, it was no joke.

The stepped-up enforcement, launched by Westport police in conjunction with state and national authorities’ observance of “Distracted Driving Awareness Month,” in the first week alone snared dozens more drivers violating the law than in the entire preceding month.

From April 2-9, police issued 43 tickets to Westport drivers violating distracted-driving rules, which the state Department of Transportation says generally includes anything that diverts a driver’s attention away from the road.

During the entirety of March, local police issued a total of only 16 distracted-driving citations.

It’s not just texting

Using hand-held phones to talk or text, as well as other mobile electronic devices, are by far the largest sources of violations.

But the list of don’t-do-it-while-driving guidelines also includes watching videos, applying makeup and shaving, eating and drinking, holding a pet and calibrating trip details on a navigational system. Some offenders have even been cited for reading newspapers and books while driving, officials say.

It’s even illegal to use hand-held devices while stopped in traffic or stopped at a traffic light, state officials say.

Drivers younger than 18 years old are not allowed to use a phone even with a hands-free accessory.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, at any time nationwide approximately 660,000 drivers are using or manipulating electronic devices while driving.

Nationally in 2022, 3,308 people were killed, and nearly 290,000 people injured, in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers, the NHTSA reports.

In Connecticut during 2022, the last year of verifiable data, there were 5,318 crashes attributed to distracted driving that resulted in eight fatalities and more than 787 injuries, the DOT said.

Violators of the law in Connecticut are fined $200 for the first offense, $375 for the second and $625 for the third and subsequent offenses.

John Schwing, consulting editor of the Westport Journal, has held senior editorial and writing posts at southwestern Connecticut media outlets for four decades. Learn more about us here.