The La Crosse Police Department has recently been awarded a Department of Transportation grant to place additional patrols in the community to focus on Distracted Driving. The goals for these grants are to reduce traffic related injuries and death; to gain voluntary compliance with existing laws and ordinances; and improve the safety and coexistence of all modes of transportation.
The La Crosse Police Department will be working in conjunction with the La Crosse County Traffic Safety Task Force and the participating agencies (Holmen PD and UW-L Campus Police). The La Crosse Police Department will have extra enforcement on October 8th, 14th, 19th, 21st and 27th to concentrate on distracted drivers. The La Crosse Police Department is also working with La Crosse County Health Department and the Distracted Teen Driving education group to help educate high school students on the dangers of distracted driving.
What is Distracted Driving? Distracted driving isn’t just texting and driving. It is any activity that takes a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving. Some examples include; Texting, Using a mobile device for actions other than texting, eating or drinking and reading.
New state laws encourage and enforce safer driving practices with the goal of reducing and eventually eliminating the dangers of distracted driving.
Laws:
- In Wisconsin, drivers with an instruction permit or probationary license are prohibited from using cell phones while driving, including both handheld and hands-free devices.
- Drivers of commercial motor vehicles are restricted from using handheld mobile devices while driving.
- Drivers of all ages are prohibited from texting while driving.
Click here for the press release: 092815 Distracted Driving
La Crosse PD Newsroom 