April is Distracted Driver Month

NEW CITY, NY, - The Rockland County Department of Health, the Rockland County STOP-DWI Program, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) remind residents that April is Distracted Driving Month.

Distracted driving is the most common contributing factor in all crashes in New York State, with cell phones being the most common distraction. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for five seconds. At 55 mph, that's like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

Beginning Monday, April 1 through Monday, April 8, 2024, the New York State Police will be conducting “Operation Hang Up”, a special enforcement effort to step up patrols and checkpoints targeting drivers on electronic devices.

To help prevent tragedies, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends the following steps for drivers: 

• If you must send or receive a text, pull over to a safe location and park your car first.
• If you have passengers, appoint a “designated texter” to handle all your texting.
• If you can’t resist the temptation to look at your phone, keep it in the trunk.

Any distraction while driving increases your risk of crashing. Adults should lead by example by never driving distracted and talking with their young drivers about distractions and all the responsibilities that come with driving.

“Texting while driving is six times as deadly than driving while drunk; 25% of car accidents are the result of cell phone usage, and 11 teens die from texting and driving every day. It’s truly sad.  Remain focused while driving. No call or text is worth a death,” said Dr. Albert Del Principio, Rockland County STOP-DWI & Traffic Safety Coordinator.

“Always keep your eyes on the road. Not paying attention to the road while driving puts not only  you  but also your passengers, pedestrians, and others using the road at risk,” said County Executive Ed Day.

The Rockland County Department of Health, in keeping with New York State’s “See! Be Seen!” initiative, is working with the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee to educate the community on traffic and pedestrian safety measures to keep yourself and your family safe. For more information, visit the Rockland Safe Streets website at https://rocklandsafestreets.org/.

For more information about distracted driving, visit the NHTSA website at www.nhtsa.gov/risky-driving/distracted-driving.

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