April Announced as Distracted Driving Awareness and Enforcement Month
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – April is National Distracted Driving Awareness and Enforcement Month. The Tennessee Highway Patrol calls distracted driving a dangerous epidemic on America’s roadways. This risky activity can divert a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving, while endangering the safety of the driver, passengers, and bystanders. According to THP, there were 18,761 traffic crashes including 54 fatalities as a result of distracted driving in Tennessee during 2013. “When you text while driving, you take your eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and mind off the task of driving,” Kendell Poole said, Director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Office. “That puts lives in danger, and no one has the right to do that.” Text messaging requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention from the driver, and is by far the most alarming distraction. Tennessee has a primary texting law that is enforced by the Tennessee Highway Patrol and state-wide law enforcement. The Governor’s Highway Safety Office urges drivers to make safe choices when driving on Tennessee roadways. Take a moment to pull over if you need to make a call, or send a text. Consider asking your passenger to make the call or text for you. In Tennessee, texting while driving is against the law and considered unsafe. Any situation that causes a driver to become distracted can be extremely dangerous to the driver and fellow Tennesseans.
