On average, 42 crashes occur each day in Colorado due to distracted driving. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), in partnership with the Mountain View Fire Department and the Erie Police Department, ask drivers to “Put down the phone and pay attention”. April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
Why
- The risk of crashes is preventable. In 2019, the careless decision resulted in 4,361 injuries and 39 deaths in Colorado, according to CDOT.
- Distractions like passengers, food, children, and roadside visuals continue to distract drivers while handheld phones have further exacerbated the issue; 92% of Coloradans admit driving distracted weekly.
- It may take only a matter of seconds to glance at your phone, but if you are driving at 60 miles an hour, your eyes are blind to the road the length of an entire football field.
Pledge
‘Distraction Reactions’ is an effort designed to shift social norms by encouraging drivers to think twice about driving distracted. If someone in your life drives distracted, talk to them about their behavior. You can also take a pledge against distracted driving at the National Safety Council website, download and print a certificate to share with all your channels.
More
www.codot.gov/safety/distracteddriving/distraction-reactions-campaign