CUSTER COUNTY, Neb.— The Custer County Sheriff’s Office will increase patrols this Thursday through Monday as a part of the Put the Phone Away or Pay campaign, aimed at reducing distracted driving.
Funded by a grant, the effort allows deputies to work additional hours, increasing law enforcement presence across the county. Sheriff Dan Osmond says the focus is on safety and awareness.
“It’s just a timeframe for people to understand the importance of not using your phone while you’re driving. It’s a pretty dangerous situation and we’re just taking part in this to help bolster that. Just understand that we’re doing it out of safety. We’re not trying to cause you to pay, but we want you to think about it,” said Osmond.
Deputy Trey Gilligan says the added patrol time means more officers watching for all traffic violations, including cell phone use.
“That doesn’t include our normal 40 hour work week. That’s 72 hours for us to work after that. So there’s going to be more officers on the streets. Not only are we going to be enforcing the cell phone usage, it’s going to be all traffic violations,” Gilligan explained.
Gilligan delivered a Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) statistic that says drivers using their cell phones are significantly more likely to be involved in a crash.
“People using their phones while driving are 240% more likely to be in a crash. At 55 miles per hour, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for approximately five seconds, (enough time to travel) about the length of a football field,” said Gilligan.
Accident prevention is the overall goal for the Sheriff’s Office.
“We’re trying to prevent that accident from happening,” said Osmond. “We’re trying to keep you safe from somebody else using their cell phone.”
Listen to our full conversation with Sheriff Osmond and Deputy Gilligan here:
