10/22/2020_Distracted_Driving_Grant aTigard Police Department
Media Release
• ' 13125 SW Hall Boulevard I Tigard,Oregon 97223 1 www.tigard-or.gov/police
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 22, 2020
Contact:
Stefanie Kouremetis, Community Engagement Program Coordinator
Tigard Police Department
Phone: 503-718-2814
Email: stefanie.kouremetis@tigard-or.gov
Tigard Police Issue Citations During U Drive. U Text. U Pay.
Campaign
During the last week of September,Tigard Safety Officers participated in a grant-funded campaign,
called U Drive. U Text. U Pay. During the 10-hour effort, two officers issued 18 citations and
5 warnings for distracted driving as well as 5 other traffic citations.
The goal of the campaign is to pull over drivers engaged in risky, distracted behaviors,
especially in violation of the Oregon law prohibiting driving while holding or using an electronic
device such as a cell phone, tablet, GPS or laptop. However, any activity that takes the visual,
auditory, manual or cognitive focus from driving is a form of distraction and can contribute
to dangerous driving.
From 2014-2018 there were 13,603 fatal and injury crashes involving a distracted driver in Oregon
(all ages). During that same time, approximately 8% of those crashes related to the driver using
a cell phone at the time of the crash.
Tigard Police asks community members to choose safety over convenience or
entertainment. Consider these NHTSA safe driving tips instead of driving distracted:
• If you must send or receive a text,pull over to a safe location and park your car first.
• If you have passengers, appoint a "designated texter" to handle all your texting.
• If you can't resist the temptation to look at it, keep your phone in the trunk.
Tigard Police Department's participation in this campaign was made possible by a grant funded
through the Oregon Department of Transportation and Oregon Impact on behalf of the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This campaign is one of Tigard Police
Department's efforts to improve safety along our roadways for pedestrians,bicyclists and drivers.
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