276 stops made during weekend emphasis patrol in Moscow

The Moscow Police Department cracked down on distracted drivers this past weekend, making 276 traffic stops – and issuing citations in nearly a third of the stops – from Friday night through Sunday.

MPD Traffic Officer Jay Waters, who headed the task force, said the weekend’s selection for extra patrols was not random. Big crowds were expected for the University of Idaho’s Moms’ Weekend and Washington State University’s Springfest.

Waters said drivers who were using their cellphones were specifically targeted, because, he added, “texting is becoming the No. 1 cause of crashes, more so than alcohol.”

According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2015, nearly 35,100 people nationwide were killed in accidents caused by distracted driving. In Idaho inattentive driving is considered a misdemeanor charge that can carry jail time.

Idaho State Police, the Latah County Sheriff’s Office and the MPD participated in the emphasis patrol.

Waters said 36 officers volunteered to work overtime to specifically make traffic stops. The patrols were conducted in SUVs so officers were able to get better views of what drivers were doing in their cars. Waters said it is typically difficult to stop a driver who is texting while driving because officers are usually unable to see a cellphone when it is hidden beneath a window or in the lap of the driver.

Texting wasn’t the only reason drivers were pulled over. In two separate cases individuals were stopped because their occupants were playing Pokemon-Go. In another case a woman was stopped for video chatting while driving.

Water said bike cops on the UI campus were more successful in their patrols than those conducted on the highways.

Waters found that people using their phones while driving extended over all age groups, minus senior citizens.

In August, Waters led an emphasis patrol in which officers rode in a school bus and used the high vantage point to spot distracted drivers. Waters said he would like to conduct more emphasis patrols, specifically targeting school zones, in the near future.

“The bottom line is we are trying to reduce crashes,” Waters said, adding citations were not issued to every offender because officers wanted to make it an educational experience and bring awareness to the dangers of distracted driving.