DETROIT (WXYZ) — Multiple law enforcement agencies are cracking down on distracted drivers across metro Detroit. Over 30 officers from state, county, and local police departments are taking part in the two-day-long Operation Ghost Rider.
During this operation, a ghost — an unmarked vehicle — spots distracted drivers while a marked vehicle makes the traffic stop.
"From there, they will decide if a driver will get a warning or civil infraction," Jim Santilli said.
Santilli from the Transportation Improvement Association says last year in Michigan, over 14,000 crashes resulted from distracted drivers.
"On average, when the driver is looking at an electronic device while driving — on average — they are looking away for about four to five seconds. So putting into perspective, if you are driving 55 mph, that is like driving a length of a football field blindfolded," Santilli said.
Texting, taking a call while holding your phone, applying makeup, eating a sandwich, going through your bag, any of these actions while driving is considered as being a distracted driver.
"The idea is to keep the eyes on the road and hands on the wheel," Santilli said.
As part of a ride-along, 7 Action News witnessed several "texting-while-driving" violations throughout the day. One of the drivers was Heather Adamick. She was using her DoorDash app to make a delivery.
Is this the first time you have been pulled over for distracted driving?" 7 Action News reporter Faraz Javed asked.
"Yeah," Adamick responded, adding that she doesn't plan to make any major changes while driving. "Probably not. I'm still going to DoorDash. I'll just keep it on my lap."
Another distracted driver, Anthony Vitali, is disappointed. He believes he should not have gotten a ticket for taking a call over the phone's speakerphone.
"I was just holding my phone. I guess you are not allowed to hold your phone," Vitali said.
Vitali says he does understand the dangers of distracted driving.
"Yeah, of course. I wasn't doing that," Vitali said.
The message is simple: if you want to use the phone, pull over. Meanwhile, law enforcement is looking to expand Operation Ghost Rider during the summer because, statistically, that's when most crashes happen due to distracted drivers.
