April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness on the dangers of distracted driving and how it can be prevented.

Lt. Brad Norland, Minnesota State Patrol

For the last five years within the state of Minnesota, there have been about 39,000 crashes involving some type of distraction while driving. Law enforcement from across the nation are all a part of distracted driving enforcement, especially during the month of April.

Lieutenant Bradley Norland with the Minnesota State Patrol states that distracted driving is, as he calls it, much like sober drunk driving. This term is used for when people are showing signs of distraction by swerving, not signaling, or even going over lane lines – as many do while intoxicated.

Some contributing factors that cause many fatalities due to distracted driving include talking, texting, adjusting music controls, eating, talking to passengers, and even zoning out.

Norland says that to help prevent accidents and fatalities, you need to simply just pay attention to what’s in front of you, utilize hands-free devices, and try to keep your eyes looking forward at all times. As he says, the threat is not down below, but rather in front of you.

By — Emma Hudziak