(Seguin) — Did you know that it has been 21 years ever since there
has been no fatalities reported on Texas roadways? Every day since
Nov. 7, 2000, somebody has died.
This very “unknown” fact is why the Texas Department of Transportation has again called upon drivers to help “End the Streak” and to recognize the month of April as “Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
That’s because when it comes to distracted driving, we all could
probably use a good reminder. That’s according to TxDOT spokesperson Lorie Lopez.
“Distracted driving is any activity that takes your attention away
from driving. Distractions can include anything from texting and
talking on your mobile phone, eating, drinking, putting make-up,
shaving, reading, programming a navigation system, watching a video as
well just anything that takes your eyes off of the roadway is a
distraction. So, everyone needs to remember that safety needs to be
your number one priority when getting behind the wheel,” said Lopez.
Lopez tells the Seguin Daily News that we all think we are careful
when we find ourselves doing some of these things that she just
mentioned.
“Despite being 100 percent preventable, distracted driving crashes are still killing Texans every year. So, TxDot is taking this opportunity to remind all drivers to put away their phones and pay full attention to the road to avoid getting a ticket or even worse, a tragedy,” said Lopez.
Lopez says even during a pandemic — the death totals in Texas were
still high.
“In 2020, there were 80,347 traffic crashes in Texas that involved
distracted driving which resulted in about 364 deaths — 2,203 serious injuries. Driver distractions rank as number 2 on the list of
contributing factors cited in Texas crashes that occurred in 2020.
When you think about it, in 2020, there wasn’t a whole lot of traffic
— a lot of people were not driving because of the beginning stages of
COVID-19 so still even though there wasn’t a lot of traffic, there
were still crashes happening on the roadway,” said Lopez.
Lopez says it doesn’t take folks long to realize that 2000 was the
start of increased texting and more enhanced personal technology.
“On average, sending or reading a text takes your eyes off of the
roadway for nearly five seconds and at 55 miles per hour for example, and that’s driving an entire length of a football field with your eyes closed. Regardless of whether you are using even the voice, the text program hands free, that’s still considered a distraction so we are reminding drivers that when you get behind the wheel, you need to put your entire attention to your driving and not to anything else,” said Lopez.
Since September 1, 2017, it has been illegal to read, write or send a
text while driving in Texas. Violators can face a fine up to $200.
TxDOT’s distracted driving awareness campaign is a key component of #EndTheStreakTX campaign that encourages drivers to make safer choices while behind the wheel, like wearing a seat belt, driving the speed limit, never texting and driving and never driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs.