Distracted Driving Surges in Massachusetts

The state of Massachusetts recorded more than 85% as many distracted driving citations in the two-thirds of 2022 as it did in all of 2021, reports NBCBoston.com.

Overall, there were 38,233 distracted driving citations in the Bay State from January through August of this year, as compared with 44,336 in all of 2021. Moreover, some 7,615 of the 38,233 resulted in fines, totaling a staggering $829,000.

Activity spiked in the spring, notes the report. Police issued 12,213 citations in April — that’s nearly double the amount of the second-highest monthly total of 6,123 in May. Officials say the pattern tracks with the past few years as well as the observance of Distracted Driving Awareness Month in April.

Like many states, during April law enforcement typically has special funding to amp up its efforts to curb distracted driving. Massachusetts also runs a campaign that spotlights the problem of distracted driving.

Distracted driving claimed the lives of 3,142 people across the nation in 2020 alone, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.