April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month — and Coloradans have yet to change their distracted behavior
Traffic Safety Pulse News
Responding to a text message, turning to talk to a passenger, or reaching for a french fry may seem harmless, but this dangerous driving behavior accounted for 65 fatal crashes across Colorado in 2021. April marks Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and CDOT is urging Coloradans to drop distractions behind the wheel and focus on the road instead.
Among the 65 fatal distracted driving crashes in 2021, the leading cause of distractions in those incidents were:
- Other passengers (18%).
- Talking, listening, dialing or other activities on a cell phone (18%).
- Inattention (15%).
- An outside person, object or event (12%).
- Eating food or drinking beverages (8%).
According to a survey conducted by CDOT, an alarming 3 out of 4 Colorado drivers reported using their cell phones (hands-free or handheld) while driving a moving vehicle. Male respondents were more likely to say they used their phone while driving on the highway (71%) than female respondents (60%). Read the full release here.
