MH Police Department partners with NHTSA for National Distracted Driving Awareness Month

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the Mountain Home Police Department is partnering with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to raise awareness of the dangers of distracted driving.

According to NHTSA, in 2022, there were 3,308 people killed and an estimated additional 289,310 people injured in traffic crashes involving distracted drivers.

Cpl. Rockie Morrell says “Distracted driving is a leading cause of vehicle crashes on our nation’s roads, and most of this distraction can be attributed to cell phone use. People know using their phone while driving is dangerous and often illegal, but they do it anyway, and put themselves and others at risk. Drivers will see increased law enforcement efforts, as officers will be stopping and ticketing anyone who is caught texting and driving. If you text and drive, you will pay.”

Violating distracted-driving laws can result in a fine of up to $250 for a first offense and up to $500 for subsequent offenses, with fines doubling if a collision occurs.

NHTSA urges drivers to keep their phones out of reach while driving. For safer driving, the agency recommends pulling over to a safe location before using a device, asking a passenger to be a “designated texter,” not engaging in social media scrolling or messaging while driving and activating a phone’s Do Not Disturb feature.

For more information, visit https://www.nhtsa.gov/campaign/distracted-driving.

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