Maui Police Participate in April Edition of “U Text. U Drive. U Pay.”

Testing while driving is against the law in Hawai‘i.

Maui police will join law enforcement agencies across the nation in cracking down on motorists who text while driving. This effort is a part of the national “U Drive. U Text. U Pay” high-visibility enforcement campaign that combines intense enforcement of distracted driving laws with advertising and media outreach to educate the public and gain voluntary compliance with the law.

This year’s campaign will run from April 1-30, 2017.

Violating Hawaiʻi’s Mobile Electronic Device law, which became effective on July 1st, 2013, can result in a fine of $297, or $347 if in a school or construction zone for motorists who use a mobile electronic device while driving. MED’s include, but are not limited to: cellphones, tablet computers, digital cameras and gaming devices.

The Maui Police Department urges all drivers to remember to use a hands free device, pull over or just wait until they reach their destination before using any Mobile Electronic Device.

“Our primary goal during the operation is to make the roadways of Maui County safe for the entire public to use by reducing the number of motor vehicle collisions caused by distracted driving,” police said.

In 2014, an estimated 3,179 people were killed (10% of all crash fatalities) and an additional 431,000 were injured (18% of all crash injuries) in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.

According to a 2014 special article in the New England Journal of Medicine, the risk of a crash or near-crash among novice drivers increased with the performance of many secondary tasks, including texting and dialing cell phones.