As traffic crashes tick up in Md., distracted driving is a top concern for law enforcement

In the state of Maryland deadly crashes are up more than compared to this time last year The numbers come as the state continues to see a common theme behind crashes including those that claim lives Distracted driving according to Capt Warren Jensen with Montgomery County police is one of the biggest problems Related stories Put the phones down Montgomery Co police have tips for motorists and pedestrians this spring Md lawmakers consider bill using in-car photos of distracted driving violations spotlighting privacy issues Too hard for them to talk about Grandson of Holocaust survivors tells their story while teaching history It s a huge huge issue There are just distractions that didn t exist years ago Warren stated Statewide Maryland has seen deadly crashes since the beginning of the year That number last year at this time was according to the state s highway safety office In Montgomery County the total so far this year is seven deadly crashes We have a Vision Zero coordinator We work closely with the Department of Transportation You know we want fatalities at zero and we re not we re not meeting that yet Jensen declared From smartphones to infotainment systems there is a lot inside the car that can distract drivers Texting and other forms of communication while driving can also prevent a driver from watching what is happening around them In fact in the department issued close to citations and warnings for distracted driving That number so far this year is Jensen mentioned they are also seeing drivers speed more often which is something that happens in nicer weather but it can create dangerous situations when combined with distracted driving and more school kids out and about In Montgomery County Jensen reported they plan to continue targeted enforcement in the areas with the majority of crashes Among them the Road corridor from North Bethesda to Germantown and Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road in the Silver Spring area Another trouble spot is along Wisconsin Avenue in Chevy Chase and Bethesda Everything we re doing is trying to be very data-driven and trying to reduce collisions Jensen mentioned Multiple newer cars tout safety features which he reported as they get better will make the roads safer But Jensen reported drivers still have to pay attention for what the safety systems or self-driving systems do not see Beyond that he reported there are two things that can help lower crash numbers directly If we all slow down pay attention I think we re all going to be much better off he stated Source