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ITD Director Brian W. Ness speaks at the declaration ceremony Thursday in Statehouse.

Idaho Governor declares April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Saving lives and educating all Idahoans -- especially young drivers -- about the dangers of distracted driving, Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter proclaimed April 2015 Distracted Driving Awareness Month in Idaho during a ceremony in the Capitol Thursday, April 2.

Gov. Otter was joined by representatives from some of Idaho’s largest public- and private-sector employers, who have implemented no-phone policies for their employees.

Here's the video of the event, which was emceed by ITD Director Brian W. Ness.

In the past five years, Idaho has lost 245 lives to distracted driving, with an average of 5,000 distracted-driving crashes per year. The economic cost of distracted-driving crashes was nearly $598 million in 2013.

“Safety is a priority for ITD, and we commend our partners in the public and private sector who have taken steps to eliminate distracted driving from their workforce, because it makes our roads safer for all Idahoans,” said ITD Director Brian Ness. “This is the kind of culture change that shows a true commitment to safety.”

“Any distraction while driving can have deadly consequences, especially when your eyes and mind are focused on a phone instead of driving,” said Col. Ralph Powell of the Idaho State Police. “It takes five seconds to read or send a text message, and if your car is traveling 55 mph, that’s like traveling the length of a football field wearing a blindfold. With an average of less than a second to react to an urgent situation, drivers need to have all their attention on the roadway.”

Also attending the Statehouse ceremony were members of the Twin Falls High School Student Council, who submitted a winning billboard design to ITD’s Office of Highway Safety that will be used to help promote safety awareness during the coming weeks. Pictured above are memberas of the Twin Falls high-school contingent discussing the billboard with ITD Deputy Chief Scott Stokes. At bottom is Director Ness with the winning billboard and the Twin Falls students.

Throughout the month of April, Idaho law enforcement agencies and ITD will focus on educating the public about the dangers of driving distracted through media and enforcement efforts. The message to drivers is that, “Distracted driving kills and injures Idahoans every day.”