Idaho State Police troopers and local law enforcement officers will have extra patrols to enforce distracted driving laws throughout the weekend, the state police announced Friday.
Idaho Transportation Department statistics indicate that in 2021 Idaho had 5,003 distracted driving crashes, including 30 fatalities and 284 serious injuries. The National Safety Council found that the percentage of drivers manipulating hand-held electronic devices increased by 127% from 2012 to 2021. The state police encourage drivers to put down distractions and focus on driving because our roadways are dangerous.
Scott Bolen, a state trooper in District 4, said distracted driving is the leading cause of crashes in the U.S. and Idaho.
“People should be concerned when someone is holding a cellphone as their attention isn’t on driving,” Bolen said. “Do the right thing, follow the law, don’t get distracted, and focus your full attention on driving.”
Distracted driving is defined as specific inattention that occurs when drivers divert their attention from driving to focus on another activity. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that phones are the most frequent and dangerous distraction. Other activities like operating electronic devices, texting, emailing, searching for directions, or more conventional disruptions like interacting with passengers and eating are also distractions. A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute report indicates that “nearly 80% of crashes and 65% of near-crashes involved some form of driver inattention within three seconds before the event.”
With the Idaho Office of Highway Safety and federal grant funding, extra law enforcement will patrol high-traffic areas looking to enforce distracted driving laws. More information is available at shift-idaho.org/engaged-driving.
