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‘Fish in a Barrel’: NCPD Distracted Driving Stops Up 73 Percent

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New Canaan Police have made 159 stops for distracted driving since June 1, officials said Tuesday—up from 92 such stops in the same timeframe last year, a 73 percent increase. Officers are using unmarked cars in some cases and though “the summer months are a bit lighter, people are away,” distracted drivers are very active, according to Police Capt. John DiFederico. “And we are getting cars pretty consistently,” DiFederico told members of the Police Commission during their regular meeting, held at the New Canaan Police Department. When Commissioner Paul Foley asked whether it was “pretty easy” to spot motorists using smartphones, Police Chief Leon Krolikowski responded: “Fish in a barrel.”

The update to the commission comes as police focus enforcement efforts on streets with histories of accidents as well as complaints. Krolikowski has referred to distracted driving as the number one, major motor vehicle threat facing New Canaan. Here’s a column from the chief that details what constitutes distracted driving and the consequences of such under state law.

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Police: Officers in Unmarked Cars Part of Renewed Crackdown on Distracted Driving

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Calling distracted driving a common complaint from New Canaanites who observe motorists violating the law in their neighborhoods and downtown, the police chief on Thursday announced that the department is stepping up its efforts to combat the practice. Starting now, officers “will intensify their efforts to target motorists whom violate distracted driving laws,” Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said in a press release. “Police are cracking down on motorists who text or use a hand-held cellphone while driving and will use both marked and unmarked vehicles to conduct enforcement,” the chief said. Under state law, motorists may not use handheld cellphone or other electronic devices while driving—such as by texting—and new drivers (those younger than 18 or using a learner’s permit) may not use any mobile devices, even hands-free. Distracted driving is “the most significant threat to traffic safety we have seen in many years,” Krolkowski said.

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Catching Distracted (and Just Bad) Drivers: Sitting Shotgun with New Canaan Police

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New Canaan Police Officer Tom Callinan steered an unmarked Chevy Tahoe off of Farm Road and into the South School lot on a recent weekday morning, circled and swung back around, parking the SUV so that he could see clear across the intersection, the access road into New Canaan High School and Waveny beyond spread out before him. “We’ll set up right here,” said Callinan, sworn in last June. “We can see people coming both ways.”

Not long after—at exactly 11:58 a.m.—a black Jeep Laredo 4×4 brazenly ran the stop sign (“He didn’t even pump the brakes”) and swung left into the NCHS lot, prompting Callinan to pull forward and pull over the 17-year-old motorist. This time, the teen—whom Callinan said was “extremely respectful” and apologized straightaway for the moving violation—received a written warning that will go into his driving record in case it happens again. During the same late-morning enforcement shift, Callinan from the same vantage point pulled over a woman traveling along Farm who had dropped her hand the moment she spotted him watching (“She just dropped her phone,” he said as he pulled out and hit the flashers)—another day in the life of a New Canaan police officer addressing what the department’s chief has called “a new traffic safety epidemic” in town: distracted driving.

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New Canaan Police To Target Unsafe Drivers as First Day of School Approaches

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As the first day of school (next Wednesday, Aug. 27) approaches, police are ramping up traffic safety efforts in targeted areas and urging caution for motorists and parents. Police Chief Leon Krolikowski said in a press release issued Monday that “Operation Drive Safe Near School” will see officers in marked and unmarked vehicles near schools targeting motorists who speed, use cellphones illegally while driving, pass stopped school buses “and violate other traffic laws which compromise traffic safety near our schools.”

“The New Canaan Police Department is committed to the safety of our children,” the chief said. “Please be alert and drive safely.”

Here are safety tips from the department:

When a school bus stops to load or unload children and its red lights are flashing, all vehicles must stop—in both directions. Follow all traffic laws and take safety precautions, especially when driving in areas near schools or bus stops where children may be present.