The fourth and last distracted driving crackdown in Syracuse ended Sunday night after both city police and the Department of Public Safety spent 13 days ticketing drivers who text messaged or called at the wheel.

The crackdown was part of four separate waves to decide if texting and driving was a problem in the area, said Sgt. Joel Cordone of the Syracuse Police Department. The last three waves occurred in 2010 during April, July and October.

As of Thursday night, Syracuse police ticketed 1,255 people talking on handheld devices and 143 people texting, Cordone said. Final numbers were not available. There is zero tolerance for texting and driving, he said, and officers are taught to issue tickets as soon as they see the offense.

Syracuse police sent out an average of 17 officers a day from April 4 to 17 to look for drivers using a handheld device during the latest crackdown, Cordone said.

‘We’re trying to teach them to get it out of their hands,’ Cordone said.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration held an initiative against distracted driving and selected the city of Syracuse for research, Cordone said. He said this included gathering statistics on times when tickets were issued and what areas needed better enforcement.

In comparison with the three previous crackdowns, Cordone said he thought the statistics from last week were consistent but that more drivers were using handheld sets, such as Bluetooth devices.

But ‘people are still picking up their phone while driving,’ Cordone said.

Syracuse University’s Department of Public Safety was also involved in the crackdown and pulled over Syracuse citizens and students, said DPS Sgt. Sean Corcoran. He said several tickets have been issued by DPS, but he could not give an exact number.

‘I did one the other day,’ he said. ‘I pulled a kid over, and he knew right away why I pulled him over.’

DPS had authority over any roads where there are university buildings and where it typically patrols, including roads connected to campus, such as Irving Avenue, Corcoran said.

‘It’s not just students, it’s everybody,’ Corcoran said in regard to those who have been caught.

Patrick Brennan, a sophomore communication and rhetorical studies major, said he has texted while driving before and has not been ticketed. However, he said he knew someone who had been caught doing it twice.

‘They were definitely upset over the $100 fine they had to pay,’ Brennan said. ‘Even though I do text while driving, I am fully aware of the dangers that can come from it.’

Though Brennan said he thinks the city’s efforts are a positive and effective move, he also said he has seen various commercials that feature families who have lost loved ones because of distracted driving.

‘Personally, I find these to be more effective than paying a $100 fine,’ he said.

Kayla Rice, a sophomore photojournalism and anthropology major, said she isn’t sure the crackdown will be entirely effective on stopping texting while driving, but also said it will make it less frequent.

Rice said she thinks ticketing people is one of the only ways to handle distracted drivers, in addition to educating young drivers.

Said Rice: ‘It is definitely a very destructive path to get into.’

mjberner@syr.edu

Published on April 18, 2011 at 12:00 pm

Contact Maddy: mjberner@syr.edu