Dearborn Cracks Down On Distracted Driving

DEARBORN, MI — April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Dearborn Police has joined forces with other departments across the country to intensify enforcement of state and local texting and distracted-driving laws.

The purpose of this increased activity is to raise awareness about the dangers, and legal implications of distracted driving. This annual campaign is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) national U Drive, U Text, U Pay, enforcement effort. The high-visibility enforcement runs from April 11, through April 15, 2019.

According to NHTSA, between 2012-2017, nearly 20,000 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver. In fact, there were 3,166 people killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2017. This means that nearly one-tenth of all fatal crashes that year were reported as related to distracted driving.

An analysis by the AAA Foundation of 2009-2012 data found that while more than 80 percent of drivers believed it was completely unacceptable for a motorist to text behind the wheel, more than a third of those same drivers admitted to reading text messages while operating a passenger motor vehicle themselves.

The Dearborn Police Department and NHTSA urge residents to put their phone down behind the wheel.

“In a fraction of a second a life can be changed forever," Dearborn Police Chief Ronald Haddad said. "When you’re behind the wheel of a car, driving safely should always be your top concern.”