The Delaware Office of Highway Safety is in the midst of an Occupant Protection and Distracted Driving high visibility enforcement effort.
The Office of Highway Safety reminds drivers to avoid distractions while driving, and drivers and passengers to buckle up every time in a vehicle.
The high visibility enforcement underway runs through February 12.
"The goal of this enforcement is to have high visibility with law enforcement to encourage people to buckle up and use their seat belts, and to avoid distracted driving. Seatbelts are proven to increase your chances of survival and decrease your chances of serious injury in a crash, and then distracted driving remains one of the primary factors we see in crashes," said Niddrie.
That’s Office of Highway Safety community relations officer Meaghan Niddrie, who notes to combat distracted driving, phones should be set to “Do Not Disturb.”
Drivers are also advised to put phones in the glove box, trunk, or backseat to avoid looking at them while driving.
Niddrie adds newer vehicles have a bluetooth function that connects phones and that should always be used.
She says they also want people to know cellphones aren’t the only driving distraction.
"We definitely want to target anyone using their phone behind the wheel,” said Niddrie. “There's other distractions too as well like eating, grooming, playing with the radio. You should make sure you're doing all of these things before you drive away."
If you expect a text message or need to send one, pull over, make sure you’re safely off of the road, and park in a safe location before texting.
While the enforcement is also focused on seatbelt use, Delaware in 2023 saw its highest seatbelt usage ever at 93.9 percent, but Niddrie says the goal is to hit 100 percent.
Wearing a seatbelt is not only a safety precaution, it’s the law.
