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April is distracted driving awareness month, proclamation-signing
set for Thursday

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month so the Idaho Transportation Department and its safety partners encourage motorists to eliminate distractions and keep their attention on the task of safe driving.

Gov. C.L. “Butch” Otter will sign a proclamation at 10 a.m. Thursday (April 2) at the Statehouse in Boise, designating April 2015 as Distracted Driving Awareness Month in Idaho.

Business representatives and ITD Director Brian Ness will join the Governor in urging Idaho motorists to “adopt and maintain personal policies that foster safe and attentive driving behavior while behind the wheel to prevent needless deaths and injuries.”

Crashes involving distracted driving are among the leading causes of death and serious injury for Idahoans. Inattention and distraction caused 43 fatalities and 339 serious injuries in 2013, ultimately costing the state $2.6 billion.

Distracted driving occurs when drivers divert their attention away from the task of driving. They are distracted visually, manually or cognitively, focusing instead on another activity such as talking on a cell phone, texting, interacting with vehicle passengers, adjusting a stereo or eating, instead of safe, attentive driving.

Josephine Middleton, with ITD's Office of Highway Safety, said that the transportation department has declared 2015 as the year for combating distracted driving in Idaho. She reminds motorists that there are three simple things a driver can do to prevent a distracted-driving crash: keep your hands on the wheel; your eyes on the road; and your mind on driving.

“If you are a passenger, speak up if you think the driver is distracted,” she added. “This is about everyone getting to their destination safely.”