Distracted Driving Kills [Video]

I see people on their phones...eating lunch...even reading...all while they are supposed to be driving.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month.

It's the perfect time to remind everyone to keep your hands on the wheel, eyes on the road, and mind on driving.

Bozeman Police say we have been lucky recently in Bozeman that no one has been seriously injured or worse due to distracted driving. When will that luck run out?

Who will be the unlucky one…The distracted driver, another driver, or even worse, a young boy crossing the street on his way home from school? What if it was you? What if it was your child on his way home from school?

Some quick facts about distracted driving:

· Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States, more than homicide and suicide combined.

· The younger, inexperienced drivers under 20 years old have the highest proportion of distraction-related fatal crashes.

· 40% of all American teens say they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger.

· Drivers who use hand-held devices are 4 times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves.

· Text messaging creates a crash risk 23 times worse than driving while not distracted.

· Sending or receiving a text takes a driver's eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent-at 55 mph-of driving the length of an entire football field, blind.

· Headset cell phone use is not substantially safer than hand-held use.

· Driving while using a cell phone has shown to reduce the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%

The Bozeman Police Department will be out in full force starting this week reminding drivers about the dangers of distracted driving, to include enforcing the city’s ordinance regarding hands free cell phone use. ($100 ticket!)

From fully marked police cars and motorcycles to unmarked police cars, you never know where they'll be looking for those drivers who continue to drive distracted!

Is distracted driving really worth the risk? Check this video out for you to decide...