Raleigh - Governor Roy Cooper has
proclaimed April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month to increase
awareness that distracted drivers are not only a danger to themselves, but
everyone else on the road.
In conjunction to the proclamation, the North Carolina Governor's
Highway Safety Program has launched its annual One Text or Call
Could Wreck It All campaign to encourage motorists to not drive
distracted.
"This effort is intended to educate our community about the dangers
of cell phone use and other distractions while driving," said Mark Ezzell,
director of the Governor's Highway Safety Program. "We hope that once people see
the statistics and realize the danger involved, they will change their driving
habits to help protect themselves, their families, and others on the road."
Last year in North Carolina, 152 people were killed in crashes
involving a distracted driver and nearly 25,000 were seriously injured. This is
a 13 percent decrease over the previous year in the number of fatal crashes
caused by distracted driving, but was still way too many.
North Carolina law bans all cell phone use, both handheld and
hands-free, for bus drivers and all drivers under the age of 18, and bans
texting and emailing for drivers of all ages.
While anything that takes your eyes off the road, hands off the
wheel, or mind off the task of driving is a hazard, there is heightened concern
about the risks of texting while driving because it combines all three types of
distraction - visual, manual and cognitive.
The One Text or Call Could Wreck It All campaign
complements NC
Vision Zero initiative, which aims to save lives on North Carolina
roadways. The goal is to reach zero traffic-related fatalities through
data-driven safety interventions.
For more information about distracted driving, please visit www.distraction.gov.
Media Contact: Jonathan R. Bandy
jrbandy@ncdot.gov
(919) 814-3657