TOPEKA (KSNT) – Kansas law enforcement is taking additional steps to ensure motorists are obeying traffic laws this month by putting a heavier emphasis on patrolling roads and highways.
April marks distracted driving awareness month. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 3,522 people lost their lives in 2021 due to distracted driving. The Kansas Highway Patrol views distracted driving as anything that takes drivers attention away from the roadways.
Distracted driving can take many forms: from mental distractions such as talking over Bluetooth or with fellow passengers, to physical distractions like eating and drinking, or texting and switching songs on your phone.
“A text message or using apps on your phone can take your eyes away from the road for five seconds,” Lt. Candice Breshears said. “Five seconds at highway speed that’s the length of a football field, you think about the things that can change in that amount of time when you’re going highway speeds. If you’re not looking at the road you’re not going to be able to react if something happens out there. So it’s very important to make sure you’re focused on the road at all times.”
To combat distracted driving, Breshears recommends putting your phone in the backseat or a glove box before taking off. Another way to help take away the temptation of being on your phone while driving could be putting on automatic replies while you’re out and about.
If those stats weren’t enough to convince you to take it easy on the roads, starting Monday, April 3rd the KHP will have additional enforcement across the state in support of awareness month. That extra enforcement will last through next Monday.