Light Snow 31°
Police & Fire
Distracted Driving Crackdown Starts In Connecticut Distracted Driving Crackdown Starts In Connecticut
Distracted Driving Crackdown Starts In Connecticut Connecticut drivers should stay off their phones when they’re behind the wheel as the Department of Transportation enters the second wave of its “U Drive. U Text. U Pay” campaign. During the distracted driving detail, police officers statewide will be cracking down on motorists who text, talk or use a handheld mobile device while driving. The campaign is scheduled to run from Thursday, Aug. 1 through Thursday, Aug. 15. This is the fifth year the state has participated. According to the Department of Transportation, during the first wave of the campaign in April, more than 10,000 citations …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
Man Screaming For Help Leads Officers To Motorcycle Crash Victim In Fairfield Man Screaming For Help Leads Officers To Motorcycle Crash Victim In Fairfield
Man Screaming For Help Leads Officers To Motorcycle Crash Victim In Fairfield A man screaming for help led police to the victim of a single-vehicle motorcycle crash in Fairfield. Police received calls to the 911 Center with reports of a "man screaming for help," around 10 a.m., Saturday, July 13, in the area of Osborne Hill Road and Wormwood Road, said Fairfield Police Lt. Robert Kalamaras. Officers responded to the area and a single-vehicle vehicle motorcycle collision near 258 Osborne Hill Road.  An initial investigation revealed that the driver, identified as Daniel Epstein of Fairfield, was driving a 1979 Honda CX-500C traveling west on Osbor…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Here's How Many Were Charged With DUI, Speeding During July 4th Holiday Period, Police Say Here's How Many Were Charged With DUI, Speeding During July 4th Holiday Period, Police Say
Here's How Many Were Charged With DUI, Speeding During July 4th Holiday Period, Police Say The numbers are in and drivers in Connecticut were safer this year compared to last year with fewer tickets for speeding and traffic crashes and no fatalities. According to Connecticut State Police, they received 7,184 calls for service during the holiday period which ran from 7 p.m. Wednesday, July 3 through 11:59 p.m., Sunday, July 7. During the time period, troopers focused on drunken driving violations, aggressive drivers, distracted drivers, and speeding. Sobriety checkpoints and targeted DUI patrols were also in place over the entire weekend. There was more DUI arrest in 20…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
Lifestyle
Driving High: Newly Released Statistics May Surprise You Driving High: Newly Released Statistics May Surprise You
Driving High: Newly Released Statistics May Surprise You New statistics released about driving while high on marijuana show that Americans may perceive it as less of a concern than other dangerous driving habits. In a new AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety survey, seven percent of Americans reported they “approved” of driving after using marijuana. This percentage is higher than the approval rating for other dangerous behaviors like alcohol-impaired driving (1.6 percent), drowsy driving (1.7 percent), and prescription drug-impaired driving (3 percent). This perceived approval is also reflected in the 70 percent of Americans who, according to the s…

SHARE

by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
Click It Or Ticket: Local And State Police Agencies Team For Seatbelt Enforcement Detail Click It Or Ticket: Local And State Police Agencies Team For Seatbelt Enforcement Detail
Click It Or Ticket: Local And State Police Agencies Team For Seatbelt Enforcement Detail With Memorial Day Weekend on the horizon, local and state law enforcement agencies are teaming up for a border-to-border enforcement effort targeting motorists. Beginning on Monday, May 20, law enforcement agencies throughout the country will be participating in a “click it or ticket” campaign that will last through Sunday, June 2. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has asked that all states participate in the border-to-border campaign, which “ is coordinated by participating state highway safety offices and their respective law enfo…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
Motorists, Troopers Team Up To Rescue Loose Beagle On I-84, Closing Down Roadway Motorists, Troopers Team Up To Rescue Loose Beagle On I-84, Closing Down Roadway
Motorists, Troopers Team Up To Rescue Loose Beagle On I-84, Closing Down Roadway Drivers and police banded together to save a beagle named Lupe when he was found wandering on I-84 in Danbury. The incident took place on Friday, April 19, during rush hour when drivers saw Lupe on the highway, Connecticut State Police said. "The dog was hit by a vehicle, but did not have any serious injuries," said Trooper Christopher Costella of Troop A, Southbury.  Motorists, worried that Lupe might get run over again, took it upon themselves to use their vehicles to shut down the highway until state police could arrive and help rescue him. Troopers cover Lupe's head so he wasn't a…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
Stratford PD: Teen Bicyclist 'With Total Disregard For Traffic' Charged With Reckless Driving Stratford PD: Teen Bicyclist 'With Total Disregard For Traffic' Charged With Reckless Driving
Stratford PD: Teen Bicyclist 'With Total Disregard For Traffic' Charged With Reckless Driving A Stratford teen was arrested for reckless driving -- on his bike. The incident took place on Monday, March 25, when the 13-year-old was seen riding his bicycle down the center line of the roadway near Paradise Green, causing a clear traffic hazard, said Stratford Police Capt. Frank Eannotti. The teen then was seen by a police officer riding in the same manner on Huntington Road and through the intersection of Main Street and Huntington with a total disregard for oncoming traffic, Eannotti said. Once stopped the juv…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
Police & Fire
IDs Released For Husband, Wife Killed In SUV Crash On LI Sound IDs Released For Husband, Wife Killed In SUV Crash On LI Sound
IDs Released For Husband, Wife Killed In SUV Crash On LI Sound Police have released the names of the husband and wife who died after their SUV crashed through a metal guardrail into the Long Island Sound in Westchester. New Rochelle residents Ralph and Arlene Simpson, both 74, drove through the guardrail and into the water at Hudson Park in Echo Bay shortly before 3 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19, police said. A potential medical condition is believed to have caused the crash. Divers responded to the scene and were able to pull the driver, Ralph Simpson, from the vehicle, unconscious and unresponsive. He was treated by paramedics at the scene and transpor…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
News
CT State Police Warn Against Dangers Of Ice, Snow Missiles CT State Police Warn Against Dangers Of Ice, Snow Missiles
CT State Police Warn Against Dangers Of Ice, Snow Missiles Connecticut State Police are reminding motorist to remove all those "ice missiles" from their vehicles before driving to avoid causing crashes and damaging other vehicles.Troopers said many drivers don't clean "all" of the ice and snow that has frozen off their vehicles, causing a great hazard for other drivers. On Tuesday they released several photos of shattered windshields to highlight the dangers. "This is a huge initiative for our troopers during and after any snow storm… We are hoping that the picture will help drive the message home," the department said. Troopers have been resp…

SHARE

by Kathy Reakes
News
Traffic Deaths In NYC Hit 100-Year Low Traffic Deaths In NYC Hit 100-Year Low
Traffic Deaths In NYC Hit 100-Year Low Walking and driving in New York City may be getting safer, according to new statistics that found that traffic deaths are at their lowest number in a century. The New York Transportation Department reported that 196 people were killed in traffic accidents through Dec. 26 last year, an 11 percent decrease from 2017. The mark is the lowest in 100 years, according to the Wall Street Journal. The news, however, came with a caveat; although overall deaths declined, the number of pedestrians killed in traffic increased last year, city officials noted last week. The number is the lowest since the …

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Lifestyle
Deadly Combination: Teen Driver Plus Teen Passenger Increase Crash Chance 51 Percent, AAA Says Deadly Combination: Teen Driver Plus Teen Passenger Increase Crash Chance 51 Percent, AAA Says
Deadly Combination: Teen Driver Plus Teen Passenger Increase Crash Chance 51 Percent, AAA Says Teenage passengers may be the biggest threat to teenage drivers, according to a recently released report from AAA. Research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that when a teen driver has only teen passengers in their vehicle, the fatality rate for all people involved in a crash increased 51 percent. In comparison, when passengers over the age of 35 ride with a teen driver, overall fatality rates in crashes decreased 8 percent. According to AAA, in 2016, teen drivers were involved in more than a million police-reported crashes resulting in more than 3,200 deaths. Researchers f…

SHARE

by Zak Failla
Police & Fire
State Police Release DUI Patrol Info, Checkpoint Locations For Thanksgiving Week Details State Police Release DUI Patrol Info, Checkpoint Locations For Thanksgiving Week Details
State Police Release DUI Patrol Info, Checkpoint Locations For Thanksgiving Week Details With tens of thousands of travelers driving through Connecticut during the Thanksgiving week, State Police are ramping up their plans to keep highways safe for all during the holiday rush. Beginning on Wednesday, Nov. 21, just after midnight, and running through Sunday, Nov. 25 at 11:59 p.m., state police will supplement its normal routine patrol personnel with additional Troopers throughout the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Across the state, Troopers will patrol roads and highways across Connecticut focusing on aggressive drivers, unsafe drivers and drunk drivers. In addition, the sta…

SHARE

by Daily Voice