The city will have spent $16,087 on education from the beginning of the campaign in January 2013 through this summer, Merriam said. She said the message is on billboards, Mountain Line buses and signs and in media coverage, and she believes people generally know driving while using a mobile device is illegal.

“I do think that most people know,” Merriam said. “I think people think, ‘I can have a short conversation, and I won’t be caught.’ ”

Of the 270 tickets issued from January through May 20 this year, nine are second offenses, she said. The minimum fine for a first offense is $100, and the maximum penalty is $300.

***

According to the Department of Transportation, many people in Missoula are at risk of being in fatal crashes. From May through October, 62 percent of the state fatalities involve drivers ages 18 to 25, and “a significant segment of the Missoula population is in this age group and at risk.”

In 2011, the most recent year for which the Department of Transportation has data available on its website, 48 people died in fatal crashes in Missoula County, and in eight of those cases, alcohol was a contributing factor. In eight fatalities, drugs were listed as a factor.

This week, the city of Missoula will put extra officers on patrol with help from a grant from the Department of Transportation through its Vision Zero program with a goal “of eliminating deaths and injuries” on state highways; the city did not have the amount of the grant available, and Tuesday afternoon, state officials did not return calls for comment on the program.

Reach Keila Szpaller at @keilaszpaller, at keila.szpaller@missoulian.com or at (406) 523-5262.

You must be logged in to react.

Click any reaction to login. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0

Get local news delivered to your inbox! Subscribe to our Daily Headlines newsletter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.