Greater Sudbury Police officers will concentrate their efforts on distracted driving and cellphone use, as well as stop sign violations for the month of May.

Officers of the traffic management unit and uniformed officers will be conducting enforcement activities throughout the City of Greater Sudbury as part of a new program to address traffic-related issues. The intention of this program is to enhance the safety on roadways and to promote public awareness of proper driving, vehicle operation behaviours and roadway use.

The monthly roadway safety initiatives have been identified through public complaints, operator errors that were identified through the use of collision investigation data and the use of intelligence driven policing.
 
Last year, officers issued 576 offence notices for cellphone use and in the first four months. In the first four months of 2012, 210 cellphone offence notices have already been issued.

Research shows that 19 per cent of intersection-related collisions in Greater Sudbury occurred when drivers failed to properly stop at stop signs.

Drivers are required to stop for stop signs and they can only move after it is safe to proceed.

Tips for reducing distractions while driving:

There are a number of potential driver distractions and these may include:
- devices such as handheld cellphones, organizers and laptops
- reading maps or other material
- grooming activities
- eating or drinking
- tending to children or pets

Managing distractions is easy, according to police. The following are some tips to help reduce driver distraction:
- Make it a habit to use your cellphone only when parked, have a passenger take the call or let the caller go to voice mail;
- Before you start driving, turn off your cellphone;
- Identify and preset your vehicle's climate control, radio and CD player;
- Attend to personal grooming and plan your route before leaving;
- When hungry, tired or thirsty, take a break.

Posted by Arron Pickard