Leonardtown, MD – October 18, 2019 – Maryland State Police are reminding motorists just how dangerous it can be on the road if you are not paying attention to your surroundings.
According to the Maryland Highway Safety Office, more than 27,000 people are injured and 185 others die each year on Maryland roads because of distracted driving. Distracted driving contributes to 58 percent of all crashes in Maryland.
The Maryland State Police are continuing to make enforcement of distracted driving a top priority and will be increasing their enforcement and awareness efforts from October 20, 2019 through October 26, 2019. Troopers will be working collaboratively with allied law enforcement agencies to stop motorists from using their cellphones while driving.
In 2018, troopers issued 16,050 citations and 18,671 warnings for distracted driving violations. This includes 2,939 citations and 2,591 warnings during National Distracting Driving Month last year. For the first three months of 2019, troopers issued 3,065 citations and 3,528 warnings for distracted driving violations.
The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration defines distracted driving as any activity that diverts attention from driving, including talking or texting on your phone, eating and drinking, taking to people in your vehicle and/or adjusting the stereo, entertainment or navigation systems. Every time a driver takes their eyes off the road and focuses their attention on something else, they are endangering themselves, those in their vehicle and everyone else on the road around them.
It has been estimated that a person texting takes their eyes off the road for an average of five seconds. To put this in perspective, this is like covering the length of a football field while driving blindfolded if you are driving 55 mph.
The NHTSA reported that in 2016 alone, 3,450 people were killed in the U.S. as a result of distracted driving. In addition, approximately 391,000 people were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted driving.