Kansas Officials Urge Drivers to Avoid Distracted Driving

Texting, other distractions have led to thousands of crashes in Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. — In 2017, 28 percent of all traffic crashes in Kansas were attributed to driver inattention or distractions. April is Distracted Driving Awareness Month and the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) and law enforcement agencies across the state are working to educate drivers of the dangers of driving while distracted. Kansans will see a multi-media campaign running to support these efforts.

While distracted driving is most often associated with cell phone use, many other situations can cause distractions in the car. Interacting with children, eating food, using other electronic devices, and even things happening outside the vehicle contributed to more than 16,000 distracted driving crashes in Kansas in 2017.

“Taking your eyes off the road to send a text is like driving blindfolded down a football field,” said Chris Bortz, Traffic Safety Program Manager for KDOT. “You wouldn’t risk driving blindfolded, yet we see people on their phones or eating or putting on makeup every day on our roads.”

Many people may not know that distracted driving can be a ticketable offense in Kansas. For example, any texting, social media or internet activity on your phone can lead to a minimum $60 ticket plus court costs. However, the worst result of distracted driving would be to cause an injury or death.

“We are facing an epidemic. Too many people are injured or killed due to inattention on our roads. Distracted driving crashes are 100 percent preventable,” said KDOT Secretary Julie Lorenz. “Protecting yourself, your passengers and other Kansans is as simple as putting the phone down and avoiding all other distractions in the car.”

Law enforcement officers also encourage Kansans to “just drive” when they are behind the wheel. If your attention is anywhere other than the road, you’re driving distracted, and you’re driving dangerous. Drivers can minimize distractions by turning off electronic devices and keeping both eyes on the road ahead at all times. They also encourage passengers to hold their driver accountable and to not be a distraction themselves.

Remove the "A word:" Crashes are not accidents

By Chris Bortz, KDOT Traffic Safety Program Manager

Annually, about 60,000 crashes occur in Kansas.  This equates to more than 150 crashes each day in the state.  Four of the top five contributing circumstances listed on the crash report are driver-related behaviors.  The contributing circumstances surrounding a crash are typically: speeding, too fast for conditions, failure to yield at a stop sign or stop light, following too closely, texting and/or other distraction.  All these factors are 100% preventable. The decisions that every driver makes not only impact themselves and their passengers, but everyone else on the road.

Using the word ‘crash’ instead of accident more accurately identifies the event - it doesn’t give the perception that no one was at fault. The word ‘accident’ implies no one was at fault or it couldn’t have been prevented. That is a pretty hard pill to swallow if you were the victim in a crash and the other driver was going too fast for conditions and/or was distracted. 

You may have noticed that I didn’t include the circumstance of ‘impaired or drunk’ in the paragraph above.  Choosing to drive impaired is a horrible, conscious decision and the ramifications of this decision lead to around 100 deaths, 1,300 injuries and 2,300 crashes in the this state every year.  In Kansas, You Drink, You Drive, You Lose.

I don’t believe that people get behind the wheel and say “I think I will injure or kill someone in a car crash today.”  Just because it was not intentional, doesn’t mean it couldn’t have been prevented.  Most drivers rate themselves as great drivers and will say the problem is the other driver(s).  However, driving is a privilege, not a right, you are sharing the road with all drivers and it is important for you to drive as if your life depends on it.  Oh wait, it just might.

On the Drive to Zero fatalities, you are in the driver’s seat.