Hang up and drive

Hold the phone, all you serial texters. The Colorado Department of Transportation has launched a new campaign, “Drop the Distraction,” to encourage drivers to take their eyes off their screens and put them back on the road. It’s also an effort to send a message that police aren’t messing around when it comes to TWD (texting while driving): on June 1, Gov. Hickenlooper increased fines for first-time offenders from $50 and 1 point to $300 and four points.

According to CDOT, distracted drivers are involved in an average of 40 crashes per day in Colorado – that’s nearly 15,000 a year. In 2016, those crashes resulted in 67 fatalities. In a recent survey of drivers, 22 percent admitted to recently having read a message while driving, 64 percent selected entertainment on a mobile device and 33 percent talked on a hand-held phone.

The Distraction campaign aims to reach Coloradans at the source of the problem – their phones – through ads on Pandora, search engines and social media. Drivers are also encouraged to download one of many apps available that limit phone functionality while driving.

CDOT is also seeking folks to participate in a series of short testimonials about the dangers of distracted driving. By featuring real stories from victims, CDOT hopes to show the consequences of distracted driving. For more info or to offer your testimonial, visit distraction.codot.gov.