Oak Lawn Police Want Motorists To Give The Phone A Break

OAK LAWN, IL — You may want to put the cell phone down because April is National Distract Driving Awareness Month. Motorists everywhere are reminded to put down their cell phones and pay attention to the roads.

Oak Lawn police will be paying special attention to the roadways for signs of motorists paying more attention to their cell phones than their driving, such as weaving, drifting or driving up the embankment. Expect to see increased patrols and possibly enforcement zones.

Over the past decade, distracted driving has become one of the leading causes of vehicle crashes on our roads. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association, 3,166 people died in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2017. While this represents a nine-percent decrease in distracted driving fatalities from 2016, there is clearly more work to be done.

“Every day, you can look out your car window and see a driver using their cellphone,” said Sgt. M. Acke, traffic coordinator for the Oak Lawn Police Department. “People know texting and driving is dangerous and illegal, but they do it anyway, and it puts others at risk.”

Texting while driving distracts a driver visually, manually and cognitively. Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving blind at 55 miles per hour for the length of an entire football field.

Follow these steps for a safe driving experience:

• If you are expecting a text message or need to send one, pull over and legally park your car in a safe location. Once you are safely off the road and parked, it is safe to text.
• Designate your passenger as your “designated texter.” Allow them access to your phone to respond to calls or messages.
• Do not engage in social media scrolling or messaging while driving. Cellphone use can be habit-forming.
• Put your cellphone in the trunk, glove box, or back seat until you arrive at your destination.

The Distracted Driving enforcement campaign is supported through federal funds administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation.