New 'It Can Wait' Campaign Cracking Down On Distracted Driving

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A new campaign designed to cut down on distracted driving is underway across the state. It's called "It Can Wait."

But, as Gigi Barnett explains, state troopers say they're beefing up the number of officers on the roads to track drivers who can't stay focused.

State troopers say they see it all the time--drivers still texting behind the wheel. But that's not all it takes to distract drivers.

"From putting on makeup to holding a newspaper to reading a text message on a cell phone. And the biggest one was I saw a guy holding a hamburger with two hands," said Lt. Col. Anthony Satchell, Maryland State Police.

The state is posting signs on its major highways, reminding drivers of the no texting and the hands-free law and encouraging drivers to get to a safe place--like the Maryland House rest stop in Harford County--before using a phone.

For drivers who won't pull over, troopers say they're beefing up unmarked cruisers to help them.

"When you're doing something as stupid as reading a cell phone, reading a text message, talking on the phone... you have to give full attention to what you're driving--that car. Because, ultimately, things happen in a split second," said Lt. Col. Satchell.

State troopers say across the state, nearly half of all fatal crashes involve some kind of distracted driving. When you look at the numbers nationwide, every day, nearly ten people die because of it.

"When I see somebody on the phone or especially when they're texting, I blow my horn," New Yorker Colin Mulet said.

Mulet backs the statewide crackdown.

"Somewhere, sometime, someone put into everybody's mind that it has to be done right now, which is wrong," he said.

All of the state's 13 rest stops will get the signs--a clear warning for distracted drivers.

The state says it launched the campaign this month because April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.