Albemarle County Police Department conducted a distracted driving enforcement initiative on Tuesday. Throughout the day, officers targeted distracted driving infractions on primary roadways in the county.
Distracted driving is dangerous and can often end in tragic results. According to Virginia DMV, in 2019 over 120 people were killed and over 13,000 injured in crashes involving distracted driving in Virginia. It is vital for all drivers on Albemarle County roads to not be distracted by devices while driving, to slow down, and to obey posted speed limits.
This year alone, in Albemarle County, more than 300 tickets have been handed out to drivers using a hand-held device while driving.
During this one-day initiative, ACPD officers handed out 76 tickets for distracted driving.
“Unfortunately, Albemarle County roads are some of the most dangerous in the Commonwealth,” Albemarle County Police Chief Ron Lantz said. “Our department is committed to reducing crashes through a combination of public education campaigns, community engagement, and enforcement initiatives.”
While officers focused on motorists disregarding distracted driving laws on primary roadways during the November 9th enforcement initiative, they also were on the lookout for other aggressive driving behaviors and speeding.
During 2020, crashes on 17 of Albemarle’s roadways accounted for 1,116 of the year’s total 1,691 crashes. During that same time period, 11 of the year’s 17 traffic fatalities were on these same roadways.
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