Law enforcement agencies statewide launched Operation Hands Free yesterday, focusing on the enforcement of distracted driving laws as part of National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Operation Hands Free is an online campaign promoting awareness of the state’s Hands Free Law, which prohibits handheld phone use while driving to reduce distractions behind the wheel.
State traffic data from last year showed a distracted driving crash occurred every 42 minutes and 51 seconds, with one in every 25 drivers involved in a crash identified as distracted.
Authorities remind drivers that first-time offenders face a $50 fine when breaking the Hands Free Law, but penalties increase in school zones or for repeat teen drivers under the Eddie Conrad Law.