St. Helens Police Join National Effort in April to End Distracted Driving

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 26, 2019

St. Helens, Ore. – April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month. To make St. Helens a safer place to drive, walk, and bicycle, the St. Helens Police Department is joining forces across the country to raise awareness about the dangers of distracted driving and to intensify enforcement of distracted driving laws. This annual campaign is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) national U Drive. U Text. U Pay. high-visibility enforcement effort that runs from April 11 to April 15, 2019.

The St. Helens Police Department received an NHTSA grant through Oregon Impact that will help put additional patrol officers on the streets of St. Helens who are dedicated to looking for cell phone use and distracted driving. Thursday, April 11 will be a high-level enforcement day that is part of the NHTSA’s nationwide awareness and enforcement plan for distracted driving.

According to NHTSA, between 2012-2017, nearly 20,000 people died in crashes involving a distracted driver. In fact, there were 3,166 people killed in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2017. This means that nearly one-tenth of all fatal crashes that year were reported as distraction-affected.

Over the years, millennials have become some of the biggest texting-while-driving offenders, also using their cell phones to talk and to scroll through social media while behind the wheel. According to NHTSA, young drivers 16- to 24-years-old have been observed using handheld electronic devices at higher rates than older drivers since 2007. In 2017, eight percent of people killed in teen (15-19) driving crashes died when teen drivers were distracted at the times of the crashes. Female drivers are most at-risk for being involved in a fatal crash involving a distracted driver.

“People know texting and driving is dangerous and illegal, but they do it anyway, and it puts others at risk,” said St. Helens Sgt. Jose Castilleja. “Beginning April 11, you will see increased law enforcement efforts, as St. Helens officers stop and ticket anyone who is caught texting and driving. We are not trying to rack up citations—we are trying to save lives.”

Drive Safe Every Trip

The St. Helens Police Department and NHTSA urge you to put your phone down when you get behind the wheel. If you need to text, then pull over and do not drive. If you’re driving, follow these steps for a phone-free experience:

• If you are expecting a text message or need to send one, pull over and 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.
• Cell phone use can be habit-forming. Struggling to not text and drive? Put the cell phone out of reach in the trunk, glove box, or back seat of the vehicle until you arrive at your destination.

Texting while driving is dangerous and illegal. Break the cycle. Remember: U Drive. U Text. U Pay.

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For further information regarding the St. Helens Police Department’s participation in April’s NHTSA distracted driving campaign, please contact St. Helens Sgt. Jose Castilleja at 503-397-1521 or josec@ci.st-helens.or.us.