April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Delaware Office of Highway Safety is teaming up with national efforts to bring attention to safe driving.

OHS recently announced its participation in the “Connect to Disconnect” (C2D) distracted-driving enforcement and awareness initiative, in collaboration with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

NHTSA has also launched its “U Drive. U Text. U Pay.” high-visibility enforcement project this month, to remind drivers about the consequences of distracted driving.

In addition, Gov. John Carney officially designated April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month in the state, supplementing the national movement.

Distracted-driving incidents are typically underreported; however, between 2017-21, these incidents accounted for 180 serious injuries or fatalities in Delaware, OHS said. In 2021 alone, distracted driving was the cause of 8,161 crashes.

Further, OHS’ report for 2021 saw 339 arrests for phone use while driving and an additional 724 warnings or arrests for other distracted-driving violations. Meanwhile, during the 2021 C2D initiative, Delaware officers enforced violations of distracted driving during a four-hour span April 8, writing 15 citations for such infractions.

These campaigns do a great deal in outlining the dangers of distracted driving, said OHS public information officer Jason Coleman. He added that the department is always looking at the contributing factors to inattentive driving to develop countermeasures.

“Our campaigns include the development and coordination of numerous media events and public awareness and outreach activities with an emphasis on the identified priority areas. As part of a yearly planning strategy to reduce distracted-driving crashes, we routinely review data and monitor our programs, adjusting accordingly,” he said.

Mr. Coleman noted that these projects encourage drivers to make a commitment to avoid distractions, which includes securing seat belts, checking mirrors and GPS, and setting the music selection prior to driving.

In addition, OHS supported Delaware State Police’s “Drive to Save Lives,” in which law enforcement agencies along the East Coast joined together to prevent potential injuries or fatalities that could arise from unfocused driving. DSP, along with various municipal agencies, undertook such patrols on Friday and Saturday.

Mr. Coleman said all these initiatives will benefit OHS’ goal of raising awareness of distractions.

“We support the Delaware State Police, municipal law enforcement agencies and traffic safety partner initiatives across the state by using federal funds awarded by NHTSA to develop these programs to address driver behavior,” he said.

“Additionally, we offer support through a variety of public information, education and enforcement efforts, aimed at reducing the number of crashes on Delaware roads. Our partners are committed to decreasing fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways, and these initiatives can help us achieve that goal.”

Both OHS and NHTSA encourage drivers to set rules behind the wheel, including having a “designated texter” to avoid texting while driving. Other suggestions include pulling over and parking to send a text, avoiding social media while driving and activating a phone’s “do not disturb” feature.