Eyes up and on the road – that should be a given for all drivers, but the temptation of a cell phone or a passenger can take a driver’s attention away for just a few seconds and lead to grim consequences.
Distracted driving was the third leading cause of traffic crashes in 2021, and from 2012 to 2022, 718 Coloradans lost their lives in a distracted driving crash, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. Nationally, in 2022 there were 3,308 people killed and an estimated additional 289,310 people injured in traffic crashes involving distracted drivers, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and Colorado State University has joined with other agencies to raise awareness of what could be dire costs of distracted driving. Drivers aged 20 to 39 are more likely to be involved in distracted driving crashes that cause injury or death.
“CSU’s Main Campus alone can be an extremely busy place with pedestrians, cyclists, skateboarders and cars all navigating streets and parking lots,” said CSU Police Chief Jay Callaghan. “Taking your eyes off the road to send a text or check a social media feed – even for just a second – puts people at risk. The best idea is to take care of potential distractions before even starting your vehicle.”
Fatal crashes are not limited to people in their cars. In 2022, there were 621 people outside of cars killed in distraction-affected traffic crashes across the country, according to USDOT.
The National Highway Transportation Safety Authority defines distracted driving as any activity that takes your attention away from the task of safe driving, including:
- Talking or texting on your phone.
- Eating and drinking.
- Talking to people in your vehicle.
- Fiddling with the stereo, entertainment or navigation system.
Some activities may take a driver’s eyes off the road (visual distraction), the driver’s mind off the task of driving (cognitive distraction), or the driver’s hands off the wheel (manual distraction) with some behaviors, including texting, combine all three categories of distraction, said NHTSA.
“There is no safe way to text while driving,” Callaghan said.
Texting and driving is illegal for drivers of all ages in Colorado. Adult drivers may use their cell phones for voice calls but are prohibited from sending a text message. Drivers younger than 18 years old are prohibited from using a cell phone for any purpose and can be fined and/or risk losing their license. Exceptions include emergency situations only.
