A forum on distracted driving held in Newtown recently by state Senator Tony Hwang included AAA representatives, law enforcement and other traffic safety advocates. 

AAA Northeast spokeswoman Fran Mayko says any activity that takes a driver's eyes off the road, hands off the wheel or attention from the task of driving presents a risk.  She added that hands-free electronics are no safer than hand-held devices, despite the amount of research done on this topic. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has found hands-free interactions can distract drivers for as long as 27 seconds after a conversation ends. At 25 mph, a driver can cover the length of three football fields.

Newtown Police Chief James Viadero says he too has to resist picking up a ringing phone or checking an email. But he noted that it's also hard not to be distracted by thinking about the next meeting he's going to or other matters.

Captain Chris Vanghele says there are times officers give out informational pamphlets with a ticket. Drivers may or may not read the material, but the ticket also, hopefully, stops them from repeating the behavior.  Newtown has 600 to 700 motor vehicle accidents per year. 

Vanghele told the crowd that if they've ever found they've driven 15 minutes to a destination and can't remember how they got there, that's distracted driving.   He says distracted driving has been an issue since he joined the force in 1993, so it's not specific to cell phones. He gave the example of being focused on what's happening in the back seat or what you're doing later in the day.