If you’re driving through Dakota County today or in the coming weeks, you’ll want to put the cell phone and other distractions down. That’s because local police will be conducting a distracted driving crackdown, and they won’t be handing out warnings.
This crackdown is a little different than some of the campaigns that police have conducted in the past. The crackdown begins today with a targeted one-day distracted driving crackdown, and it preludes a two-week effort that runs from April 10-23.
Distracted Driving Ticket
So if you’re driving through Dakota County today or during the two-week crackdown, make sure you have your eyes trained on the roads. In a special effort to help keep younger eyes away from their cell phones, officers say they will be handing out cell phone sleeves (along with tickets) to less experienced drivers. These sleeves are designed to prevent the driver from knowing that a call or message has come in while they are driving.
With that said, cell phone use won’t be the only thing that officers in Dakota County are looking for.
“We see people who are reading newspapers or books, and we’ve got those people who are grooming, whether it’s applying makeup or shaving,” said Pat Enderlein, a captain with the Dakota County sheriff’s office. “So we’re looking to educate or cite when appropriate, too.”
Distracted Driving in Dakota County
Distracted driving tickets in Minnesota aren’t cheap. A first offense for texting while driving will result in a $125 fine, while a second offense will cost you $350. If you are ticketed for general inattentive driving for reading or applying makeup, the fine is usually $115.
So put the distractions down, especially if you’re driving through Dakota County this week. Some of the larger cities located in Dakota County include:
- Apple Valley
- Burnsville
- Castle Rock
- Coates
- Farmington
- Hampton
- Hastings
- Lakeville
- Miesville
- Randolph
- Rosemount
If you end up getting ticketed in Dakota County or anywhere else in the Twin Cities metro area, reach out to the attorneys at Appelman Law Firm. Avery Appelman will be able to go over the details of your case and work to get the ticket reduced or dismissed altogether. For more information about how Avery can help you after a traffic ticket, click here to learn about the free case evaluation option.
