By John Schwing

WESTPORT — “Distracted” driving, meet “undistracted” policing.

In less than two weeks of the month-long “U Drive U Text U Pay” crackdown on distracted driving, nearly 40 tickets have been issued by Westport police.

When police on April 1 launched stepped-up enforcement of laws against distracted driving — motorists talking or texting on a cellphone — they meant business.

From April 1 through April 11, according to police records, 39 drivers have been issued tickets for distracted driving offenses.

That number “certainly indicates that distracted driving is still a problem and that many motorists opt to text or use their cellphone without a hands-free device while driving instead of taking the time to simply pull over,” Lieut. David Wolf, the Police Department spokesman, said in response to a request for comment.

“The Westport police will continue to actively enforce the State’s distracted driving laws, and hopefully that will have the positive effect of deterring motorists from engaging in that conduct and in turn make our roads safer for everyone.”

The tickets come with a cost.

Drivers ticketed for distracted driving face a $200 fine for the first offense, $375 for the second and $625 for the third and subsequent offenses.

Distracted driving in 2020 was the cause of nearly 5,000 accidents in Connecticut, officials reported. Between 2012 and 2019, 26,004 people died nationwide in crashes caused by a distracted driver, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

State law prohibits the use of any hand-held mobile electronic device while operating a motor vehicle, police said. Drivers 16 or 17 years old are prohibited from using a cell phone or mobile device at any time, including with a hands-free accessory.

The local enforcement effort is being conducted in conjunction with the state Department of Transportation’s Highway Safety Office and the federal Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.