Port Jervis Police Join Statewide Crackdown on Distracted Driving in April

Port Jervis officers will be watching for phones in hands starting April 9. The city's police department announced its participation in the NHTSA's "Put the Phone Away or Pay" campaign, a nationally coordinated enforcement surge that runs through April 13 and deploys thousands of law-enforcement agencies to write citations for handheld device use and texting while driving.

The five-day enforcement window falls during National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and arrives under a tougher New York penalty structure that took effect in 2026. A handheld phone or texting violation now carries 6 points on a driver's license, up from 5 under the previous schedule. A first offense costs $50 to $150 in fines; a second conviction within 18 months pushes the ceiling to $200; a third can reach $450. Any driver who accumulates 6 or more points triggers a Driver Responsibility Assessment of $100 per year for three years, with an additional $75 per year for each point beyond that. Eleven points within 18 months means a suspended license.

Port Jervis manages a layered traffic load year-round: commuters, school transportation, and the seasonal wave of visitors drawn to the Delaware River corridor who begin arriving each spring. Officers confirmed they would concentrate on distracted-driving infractions specifically during the April 9-13 window.

The stakes behind the crackdown reflect a national crisis. In 2024, distracted drivers killed 3,208 people and injured 315,000 others on U.S. roads, accounting for 8 percent of all fatal crashes, according to AAA Northeast. Federal safety officials note those figures are likely undercounts because of data-collection gaps.

Staying clear of a citation during enforcement week is a matter of preparation before the vehicle moves. Enable do-not-disturb or driving mode on your phone before leaving a parking space. Set navigation in advance. If a call or message cannot wait, pull off the road completely and come to a full stop before picking up the device.

Beyond the five days, the NHTSA's high-visibility enforcement model is built to outlast the campaign itself: the combination of increased citations and sustained public messaging is designed to make handheld device use feel risky throughout the year, not just during the April sprint. For Port Jervis, the enforcement week is both a near-term traffic safety measure and a marker of the city's posture as heavier spring and summer traffic returns to its roads.