Distracted driving enforcement stepped up

State troopers are looking for drivers illegally using their cellphones during Operation Hang Up, a safety initiative designed to prevent crashes and change driving behavior, State Police said.

The initiative, which started Monday and runs through Sunday, will have troopers covering Long Island roads and targeting those using cellphones and other electronic devices while driving, said Maj. Patrick Regan, commander of Troop L in Farmingdale.

Under New York law, merely viewing a phone or other hand-held electronic device while driving is illegal, according to a release by State Police. Violators can be fined as much as $150, be charged additional mandatory court surcharges and be assessed three driver violation points.

"Electronic devices have become commonplace in our lives, but they have no place in the hands of a driver," Regan said in a statement. "I've instructed our troopers to take a zero-tolerance stance."

Operation Hang Up will include troopers driving unmarked cars, the release said.

The vehicles bear no police decals but are unmistakable as police vehicles when the emergency lights are activated, according to the release.

Recent studies show drivers talking on phones are four times more likely to be involved in a crash and that the behavior of such drivers is equivalent to the behavior of drunken drivers at the threshold of the legal limit of .08 percent blood-alcohol content, the release said.

"The State Police is making distracted driving enforcement a priority, and we are changing our tactics accordingly to step up enforcement," Regan said.