New York State Police join a nationwide crackdown on distracted driving this April.

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The New York State Police are participating in a nation-wide driving enforcement campaign for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

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The campaign, ‘Put the Phone Away or Pay,’ runs from Monday, April 6 through Monday, April 13, and will target drivers who use electronic devices while driving a vehicle. Troopers will be using both marked State Police vehicles and Concealed  Identity Traffic Enforcement (CITE) vehicles. Although CITE vehicles blend into traffic, they are easily identified as emergency vehicles when their lights are activated.

During last year’s ‘Put the Phone Away or Pay’ campaign, over 22,867 tickets were issued, including 4,607 for distracted driving violations.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) says in 2024, over 3,200 people were killed across the country because of distraction-related crashes. To help prevent more more crashes,  NHTSA recommends to following safety tips: 

If you must send or receive a text, pull over to a safe location and park your vehicle firstIf you have passengers, appoint a “designated texter” to handle communicationsIf you are prone to distraction, keep your phone out of reach

NYS penalties for distracted driving:

First offense: fine ranging from $50 to $200Second offense within 18 months: fine up to $250Third or subsequent offense within 18 months: fine up to $450Probationary and junior drivers face a 120-day license suspension for a first offense, and a one-year revocation if a second offense is committed within six months