Bend PD to conduct distracted driving enforcement

On Thursday, the Bend Police Department will be conducting an enhanced distracted driving enforcement detail at unspecified locations in the city from 1-5 p.m., officers said Tuesday.

Sgt. Eric Hagan said the goal is to educate the public on cell phone usage in an attempt to reduce the number of traffic incidents caused by the use of cellphones.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration defines distracted driving as a specific type of inattention that occurs when drivers divert their attention from the driving task to focus on another activity.

According to the AAA Traffic Safety Culture Index, in 2017, 96.8% view texting or emailing while driving as a serious threat, but 44.9% of drivers have read text messages or e-mail while driving in the last 30 days.

In Oregon, a crash caused by distracted driving occurs every three hours.

This distracted driving detail will be a joint effort and is partially funded with a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Traffic Safety Project.

Reference:

(Oregon Revised Statute) ORS 811.507

Operating a motor vehicle while using mobile electronic device