This month is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and here in Indiana and Illinois, that means more this year than media campaigns designed to educate people about the dangers of driving while distracted. This year, the Distracted Driving Campaign is targeting teenagers and young drivers and the police are getting involved.
Teens Are Ticket Target: April 10 – April 15, 2015
Beginning this Friday, April 10, 2015, through next Wednesday, April 15, 2015, drivers should expect to see a heightened law enforcement presence on our roads as officers are actively going to be monitoring drivers for young adults and teen drivers who are texting or using their phones while driving.
The Department of Transportation is coordinating this effort, and DOT Secretary Foxx has announced this year’s efforts are happening under the banner of “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.”
So, if you, your friends, or your children are going to be driving on the Indiana or Illinois roads next Friday through Wednesday, don’t be surprised if you get some police focus if you are a teen driver or a young adult behind the wheel.
Why Are Police Targeting Young Drivers in the April 2015 Distracted Driving Campaign?
The police are looking at you in the hopes that this National Distracted Driving Campaign will educate people and save lives.
“Distracted driving kills, there is no excuse for it, and it must stop,” said Secretary Foxx. “Across the country, we’re putting distracted drivers on notice: U Drive. U Text. U Pay. Texting and driving will at least cost you the price of a ticket but it could very well cost you your life or someone else’s.”
From the NHTSA 2013 research, we know that distracted driving is particularly dangerous for young adults and teenage drivers:
- 10 percent of fatal crashes with drivers 15-19 involved distracted driving
- 18 percent of accidents where someone was hurt involved distracted driving
- 16 of all motor vehicle traffic crashes were reported as having a driver distracted at the time of the crash.
- Drivers 15 to 19 years old is the largest age group of drivers who were distracted at the time of the crash.
For more on the dangers of Distracted Driving, check out our earlier posts which include:
- Distracted Driving Status Report Released: Dangers Abound from Driver Distractions
- Feds Applaud Indiana’s New Law Banning Texting While Driving; Illinois Distracted Driving Law Already on the Books.
