There is a new provincial police (OPP) initiative aimed at stopping distracted driving in Essex County.
Project "Stop Texting and Travel Safely" (STATS) began on Monday to aggressively enforce distracted driving violations. The OPP said this distracted driving campaign includes a month-long local initiative that will focus on strategic distracted driving enforcement, combined with robust media involvement.
According to police, this strategy is similar to a successful study conducted in 2010 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The study supports highly visibility enforcement, combined with strategic communications, as the most effective method of reducing distracted driving. The 2010 results showed significant reductions in hand-held cell phone use and texting while driving.
Provincial police said officers will take a "zero tolerance" enforcement approach to factors causing collisions, specifically distracted driving, during this initiative and properly address any violations. The OPP said unmarked vehicles will be used to help curb the urge of drivers that still believe that these deadly habits are acceptable.
Police said statistics will be reported regularly throughout this initiative.
