While distracted driving is frequently linked to phone use, it covers a number of things troopers riding as passengers in unconventional vehicles will be looking for, Sergeant B.W. Overton said this afternoon.

“Anything that takes focus off the road is distracted driving — if you’re playing with the radio, if you’re drinking water and run off the road, officers will assess the situation,” Overton said.

(An overview on distracted driving may be found here, while information on North Carolina laws regarding cell phone use, use by people under 18 and texting and email may be found by clicking on the hyperlinks provided)

The enforcement includes assistance from the Division of Motor Vehicles, the Halifax County Sheriff’s Office and the state Department of Transportation. “We will have drivers and spotters in non-conventional vehicles like DOT work trucks.”

The spotters will inform troopers in marked and conventional patrol cars of the violations.

“The primary focus will be the interstate,” Overton said, adding, “They will be broken into teams and are free to freelance anywhere in the county or Roanoke Rapids, anywhere they see the opportunity to observe people.”

This will be a daylight operation from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Thus far in the area there have been no crashes that can specifically be pinpointed to distracted driving, Overton said. “The officers are not there when the crash occurs,” and most people involved in the crash are not going to admit they were doing something wrong.

Edwards educational poster.

As part of a state Highway Patrol reconstruction team in January of 2011, Overton was able to piece together that the death of a Chocowinity girl was caused by texting while driving.

Sarah Edwards’ mother now uses her daughter’s death to speak to groups about the dangers of texting and driving and allowed Overton to use the texts upon her death as education tools.

The 911 call about her collision with a log truck coincided with the time of texts she was apparently reading and sending at the time of her death.

That’s why any young person seen driving and using a cell phone or other digital device will be stopped during the campaign.

Other violations could end up in warnings or citations, Overton said. “We’re not going to turn a blind eye on a seat belt violation because we’re targeting distracted drivers.”

In his 28 years in the Highway Patrol, Overton has watched people read as they drive. “Eating happens a lot. I’ve seen people eating fried chicken and trying to grip the steering wheel with greasy hands and fingers.”

He said the patrol is giving advance notice so people will be aware. “This is fair warning. We’re putting them on notice.”