April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month. Throughout the month, there will be increased enforcement of distracted driving laws on all Minnesota roads.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety, along with the New Hope Police Department, encourages everyone to take action to prevent distracted driving. Distracted driving refers to any activity that diverts attention from driving. This includes talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, conversing with passengers, adjusting the stereo, entertainment, or navigation systems—essentially, anything that takes your focus away from driving safely.

Texting is particularly hazardous. Sending or reading a text message takes your eyes off the road for about five seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

You cannot drive safely unless your full attention is on the task of driving.
Any non-driving activity you engage in could be a distraction and increases your risk of crashing. In 2022, there were 3,308 fatalities and nearly 290,000 injuries in traffic crashes involving distracted drivers.

Here are some tips for safe driving:

• If you need to text, pull over to a safe location and park your car. Only then should you read or send the message.
• Remember that distracted driving isn’t limited to texting; scrolling through social media or messaging while driving is also considered distracted driving.
• Appoint a passenger as the "designated texter" to handle calls or messages on your behalf.
• Activate your phone's "Do Not Disturb" feature, silence notifications or store your phone away in the trunk to avoid temptation.
• If you see someone texting and driving, speak up and ask them to put their phone away.

For more information, visit handsfreemn.org and drivesmartmn.org.