Drop the Distraction Campaign Focuses on Harsher Distracted Driving Penalties
Distracted driving is a killer habit that continues to threaten Colorado's roads. It's estimated that, on average, distracted drivers are involved in 40 crashes each day in Colorado. Even worse, in 2016, 67 fatalities involved Colorado distracted drivers. With distracted driving on the rise, CDOT has launched its Drop The Distraction campaign to bring awareness to distracted driving and the increasing consequences.
Earlier this year, the Colorado legislature passed a new law that dramatically increased the penalties for a first distracted driving offense from a $50 fine and one point on a driver’s record to a $300 fine and four points. Colorado drivers are only allowed 12 violation points on their license, making the increased penalty points a significant sentence.
On Aug. 28, CDOT launched a media campaign that aims to reach Coloradans on the source of the problem — their phones — and where they are committing the offense — their cars. Through Pandora ads, traffic radio and branded coffee sleeves, CDOT hopes to curb the impulse for drivers to grab their phones while driving. Supplemented with connected TV, digital ads, search engine marketing and paid social media, people will learn of the increased consequences directly on their mobile devices.
