Dover –  The popular Wilmington loop events draw more than 20,000 people to the city, and this St. Patrick’s Day weekend is no exception.  Although buses are provided for transportation between drinking locations, many patrons will return to their vehicles at the end of the night and attempt to drive home.  Those who choose to drink and drive, instead of designating a sober driver, may get the opportunity to dance the Irish Jig with one of Delaware law enforcement agencies who will be patrolling the roadways this weekend.

One DUI checkpoint is scheduled to take place tomorrow, Saturday, March 15th.

• Wilmington –  New Castle County DUI Task Force – checkpoint

For more information visit www.ohs.delaware.gov, www.DUIRealTime.com and follow regular campaign updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe  and Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.

Dover –   Do you buckle up every time you get in a vehicle?  92% of Delawareans do, every trip every time.  The Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) and law enforcement officials are reminding the other 8% to buckle up.  OHS will coordinate overtime seat belt enforcement with our law enforcement partners from March 8th to 16th.  Participating law enforcement agencies include Milford PD, New Castle County PD, Newark PD, Wilmington PD, Wyoming PD, and Delaware State Police.

OHS will be combining enforcement with paid media, education & outreach that will get the message to buckle up to the individuals in need of hearing the message.  Posters, informational flyers, and newsletters have been distributed to traffic safety partners, schools, and businesses that highlight the importance of seat belt use.  In addition, OHS is sponsoring the DIAA Boys Basketball tournament on March 6 and 8 at the UD Bob Carpenter Sports building and will have a Buckle Up Photo Booth, seat belt informational table, seat belt public service announcements, and halftime shooting contest to win NASCAR tickets to Dover International Speedway.  The shooting contest contestants will be chosen from those who visit the seat belt informational table and participants of the Buckle Up Photo Booth.

Paid media will accompany the enforcement with ads on tv, online, and Pandora.  In the new ads, individuals give their reasons why they wear a seat belt: “I do it for protection,” “I do it because, I like the way it makes me feel,” “I do it because my girlfriend prefers it”, yet 8% of Delawareans still don’t buckle up.

Delaware’s seat belt law requires all vehicle occupants, even back seat passengers, to be “properly” buckled up.  “Properly” means that both lap and shoulder belts must be worn.  In particular, the shoulder belt must be worn across the chest.  Anyone who puts the shoulder belt under their arm, or behind their back is in violation of state law and is putting themselves at greater risk for being seriously injured in a crash.

The law allows officers to pull over a driver if he/she sees any person in the vehicle not wearing a safety belt.  Officers will issue citations for seat belt violations as part of a zero-tolerance policy.  The ticket, which goes to the driver no matter who is unbuckled in the vehicle, is a $25.00 fine plus court administrative fees.

In addition, Delaware’s child restraint law says that the driver is responsible for making sure all children in the vehicle are properly buckled up.  All children under the age of 8 years or 65lbs must be in the appropriate child restraint seat (an infant, toddler or booster seat).  Children who are 8 or at least 65lbs in weight, whichever comes first, must be restrained in a seat belt.  Children under the age of 12 must ride in the back seat when front seat passenger air bags are present.  Child restraint violations are also $25.00 plus court administrative fees.

More waves of seat belt enforcement will take place in May, June, and July.    Delaware’s current seat belt use rate of 92% exceeds the latest 2012 national seat belt use rate of 86%.

For more information on Delaware’s seat belt law or enforcement campaigns, please visit the Office of Highway Safety’s website at www.ohs.delaware.gov, Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE, or Follow us on Twitter @DEHighwaySafe.  For information on the latest national seat belt use rate by states (2012) visit http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811809.pdf.

Did you know that motorists who use hand-held devices while driving are 4 times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves?  It has become a common occurrence to see others talking on their hand-held cell phone or checking their smartphone while driving.  You may even do it yourself.  But there is more to Distracted Driving than just talking on a cell phone and texting.

What you need to know

Distraction occurs any time you take your eyes off the road, your hands off the wheel, and your mind off the task of driving.   Any non-driving activity you engage in while behind the wheel is a potential distraction and increases your risk of crashing.  Driving while using a cell phone is particularly dangerous. Consider this:

• Cell phone related crashes trend young in Delaware. 54% of these crashes are caused by a person under the age of 30.
• Of people under 30, males account for 60% of crashes and females 40%.
• Of those aged 19 and under, 56% of those responsible were male and 44% were female.
• 61% of cell phone related crashes have occurred in New Castle County. 23% have occurred in Sussex County, and 15% have occurred in Kent County.
• Friday trends much higher than other days for cell phone related crashes with the next highest days being Wednesday and Thursday.
• Cell phone crash rates increase around lunch time, as well as between 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. when bars close.

What you can do

OHS and Delaware law enforcement are teaming up to stop distracted drivers by collaborating on a one day cell phone enforcement blitz on February 18.   In 2013, nearly 19,610 citations were written for violating the state’s hands free cell phone law.

• The law bans texting while driving, as well as bans the use of hand-held cell phones and the use of other mobile devices while driving.
• Drivers are required to use hands-free technology in order to use a cell phone while driving.

Since the average fine is over $100, it is best to turn off the phone and put it away until you have reached your destination.  If you need to make a call, pull off to a safe location.

And remember, if you have a cell phone in one hand, you may have a ticket in the other.

For more information about Delaware’s cell phone law, see www.ohs.delaware.gov/cellphone.  You can also find more information about distracted driving at www.distraction.gov .

Drive Safe.  Arrive Alive DE.

This message is brought to you by the Office of Highway Safety, who asks you to drive safely at all times.  For more information on this and other traffic safety programs, go to www.ohs.delaware.gov.

UPDATE-

Due to forecasted inclement weather, the distracted driving enforcement scheduled on 2/14/14, HAS BEEN RESCHEDULED.  The enforcement has been rescheduled to Tuesday, February 18^th.

One day enforcement blitz February 14th

Dover– Delaware Office of Highway Safety (OHS) and Delaware law enforcement agencies are asking motorists to show how much they care about their loved ones this Valentine’s Day by putting the phone down while driving.  Law enforcement will be ticketing those who don’t put the phone down during a statewide one day enforcement blitz on February 14th.  An additional one day enforcement blitz will occur April 11th.

Distracted driving consists of any non-driving activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract him or her from the primary task of driving. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine followed 109 experienced adult drivers and 42 novice teen drivers in Virginia and Washington D.C. for 27 months. Both novice and experienced drivers spent 10% of the time distracted by another activity while behind the wheel which resulted in 685 crashes and near crashes.

In 2013, Delaware saw 149 cell phone related crashes, which is 8 more than in 2012.

Delaware cell phone law bans texting while driving.  Drivers are also required to utilize hands-free technology in order to use a cell phone to talk while driving.   It also bans the use of pagers, blackberry’s, PDA’s, laptops, games, or the use of any other electronic device by someone while driving. If you have to make a call, pull over to a safe place to use your cell phone or use a hands free device like a blue tooth.

Delaware’s cell phone law is a primary offense. If a police officer observes you using a handheld device while driving they can pull you over for the violation and cite you with a $50 fine for your first offense ($106 with fees).  If you get caught again penalties increase and can go up to $300.  Violations do not incur points on your driver’s license. Since the law went into effect in 2011 there have been over 35,000 cell phone citations issued statewide.

Get the facts:

• 20-24 yr olds lead in cell phone related crashes, with 25-29 yr olds second, and 19 yrs and under a very close 3rd. Of those crashes, 55% are caused by a person under the age of 30.

• Males account for 55% of crashes and females 45%.

• 62% of cell phone related crashes have occurred in New Castle County. 22% have occurred in Sussex County, and 16% have occurred in Kent County.

• Friday trends much higher than other days for cell phone related crashes.

• Cell phone crashes normally increase in rate around lunch time and between 1:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m. when bars close.

• For more information on distracted driving, please visit www.distraction.gov/delaware or ohs.delaware.gov/cellphone.

DUI enforcement set for Super Bowl Sunday

Dover-  The Delaware Office of Highway Safety and law enforcement officers are reminding everyone this Sunday that Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk with over 20 scheduled overtime DUI saturation patrols statewide and one DUI checkpoint in Wilmington.

“If your postseason game plan includes alcohol, make sure you have identified a designated driver. Never let anyone who has been drinking get behind the wheel. Designated drivers are your party’s MVP’s” said Jana Simpler, Director of the Delaware Office of Highway Safety.

Those convicted of a first time DUI offense in Delaware can expect to lose their driver’s license for up to 1 year, attend an 8-week DUI treatment class and pay over six-thousand dollars in court, treatment, DMV, and lawyer’s fees.   Subsequent DUI convictions include mandatory jail time and higher fines.

OHS offers the following tips to help you have a safe Super Bowl weekend: If you’re going out to a bar or party, designate a sober driver before the party begins and give that person your car keys.  Once out, if you’ve been drinking alcohol, don’t even think about getting behind the wheel. Ask a sober friend for a ride home.  Call a cab, friend or family member to come and get you, or stay where you are and sleep until you are sober.  Finally, remember, Fans Don’t Let Fans Drive Drunk. Take the keys and never let a friend leave your sight if you think they are about to drive while impaired.

If you are hosting a Super Bowl party, serve lots of high protein food and be sure to include lots of non-alcoholic beverages.  Stop serving alcohol at the end of the third quarter of the game – and begin serving coffee, water, and dessert.  Be sure all of your guests designate their drivers in advance, or help arrange ride-sharing with sober drivers.  Keep the numbers for local cab companies handy, and take the keys away from anyone who is thinking of driving while impaired. Download the OHS Super Bowl Mocktail book for recipes and party tips http://ohs.delaware.gov/pdfs/2014/Mocktails/OHS_13291_SuperBowl_Mocktail_Booklet.pdf.

Last year during NFL playoffs and Super Bowl Sunday, Delaware law enforcement conducted 60 DUI saturation patrols and 3 checkpoints that yielded 7 DUI arrests, 13 drug arrests, 9 wanted persons apprehended, 214 speeding citations, 17 cell phone citations, 28 seat belt citations, and 250 other traffic and criminal arrests.

For more information on any of the OHS campaigns visit www.ohs.delaware.gov and follow regular campaign updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/DEHighwaySafe  and Facebook www.facebook.com/ArriveAliveDE.