DECATUR -- Decatur police, as well as police in Gentry and Gravette, are making traffic stops on anyone using a cellphone to text while driving.
From April 8-12 the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) stepped up its "U Drive. U Text. You Pay." campaign in an effort to raise awareness of the state and local texting and distracted driving laws.
According to the NHTSA, "between 2012 and 2019, 26,004 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver. While fatalities from motor vehicle crashes decreased slightly from 2018, distraction-related fatalities increased by 10 percent. NHTSA also reported that the number of deaths linked to driver distraction was 3,142 nationwide, or almost nine percent of all fatalities in 2019. This represents a 10 percent increase over the year 2018, or 284 more fatalities. The distraction figures were the largest increase in causes of traffic deaths reported for 2019."
During a recent interview, Decatur police chief Steven Grizzle shared a few graphics on the cost of driving distracted in terms of the effects on human lives during and after fatal crashes.
"We are seeing far too many injuries and deaths associated with texting, messaging and other forms of distracted driving," Grizzle said. "This campaign allowed us to really focus on this issue and to let drivers know that these behaviors are dangerous, illegal and will not be tolerated. The bottom line is this: Drivers' hands should be on the wheel, their eyes should be on the road and their concentration on the task of driving -- always."
The best advice local law enforcement agencies can give to the driving community is simply this: Change your driving habits and stay focused on the task at hand and you might just save yourself, a family member, or other motorists' lives. Remember: "U Drive. U Text. U Pay."