Special to Atmore News
April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) have launched a campaign aimed at educating Florida motorists on the importance of avoiding distracted driving.
Motorists are being informed of current laws against distracted driving. According to FLHSMV data, distracted driving crashes resulted in 333 fatalities in 2021 — the highest recorded in Florida in at least eight years.
“When you get behind the wheel you only have one job, and that’s to ensure you and your passengers reach your destination safely,” said FLHSMV Executive Director Terry L. Rhodes. “More than 56,000 distracted driving crashes happened last year in Florida alone, and 75 percent of those crashes were caused by the driver being inattentive behind the wheel. Today and every day, pledge to drive how you would want others to drive around you and your loved ones – distraction free.”
On average, there were more than 1,000 distracted driving crashes every week across Florida last year. For additional data information, visit FLHSMV’s Distracted Driving Crash Dashboard.