April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and Kentucky State Police are is urging people to keep their eyes on the road and hands in the wheel in their new campaign.
According to a news release, the campaign is called One Text or Call Could Lose it All and Kentucky of Highway Safety Director Noelle Hunter says, “Distracted driving is a growing threat as too many drivers are ignoring their responsibilities behind the wheel. By educating drivers on the consequences of distracted driving and following through with traffic enforcement, we are sending a clear message that we are serious about stopping this deadly behavior.”
Texting and driving is illegal and troopers intend to stop and fine anyone seen doing it. Violating Kentucky’s texting law, which took effect April 15, 2010, can be costly. Violators are liable for fines of $25 on a first offense and $50 on each subsequent offense, plus court costs.
An analysis by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety of 2009-2012 data found that while more than 80 percent of drivers believed it was completely unacceptable for a motorist to text behind the wheel, more than a third of those same drivers admitted to reading text messages while operating a passenger motor vehicle themselves.
In Kentucky, there were more than 57,000 crashes last year, resulting in 14,600 injuries and 147 fatalities due to distracted driving.