4/2/2015
Idaho Governor declares April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month
BOISE - Saving lives and educating all Idahoans -- especially young drivers -- about the dangers of distracted driving, Gov. C. L. “Butch” Otter proclaimed April 2015 as Distracted Driving Awareness Month in Idaho during a ceremony in the Capitol today (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.
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.
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.”
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Click here for a photo of the official proclamation, here for a photo of the Twin Falls students with ITD's Scott Stokes, here for a picture of Gov. Otter signing the proclamation, here for a picture of Gov. Otter with safety partners, here for a picture of ITD Director Brian Ness with the winning billboard from Twin Falls high school, here for a picture of Ness with safety partners, and here for a picture of Director Ness at the event.
Video of the ceremony is available here.