Distracted Driving Awareness Month

Proclamation

By the Governor of Alabama

WHEREAS, distracted driving is a risky behavior that diverts a person’s attention away from the primary task of driving and poses a danger to vehicle occupants and others such as pedestrians and bicyclists. Distracted driving activities include: texting, using a cell phone, eating and drinking, grooming, reading, watching a video or adjusting the radio; and

WHEREAS, distracted driving is a growing threat to safety on our roads, with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting that 3,477 people were killed and an estimated 391,000 injured nationwide in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers in 2015, a 9 percent increase compared to the previous year; and

WHEREAS, 10 percent of fatal crashes, 15 percent of injury crashes and 14 percent of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States in 2015 were reported as distraction-affected crashes; and

WHEREAS, 17,849 crashes and 90 fatal crashes reported in Alabama for 2016 involved some form of distraction, an increase from 2015; and

WHEREAS, texting while driving is illegal in Alabama and has become a problematic trend, especially among younger drivers. According to NHTS, cell phone use while driving is highest among drivers 16-24 years old, and female drivers 15 to 39 years old are most at-risk for being involved in a fatal crash involving a distracted driver; and

WHEREAS, the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, the Alabama Department of Transportation and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency are partnering in the month of April as part of a national effort to increase awareness of the dangers of distracted driving:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim April 2017, as

Distracted Driving Awareness Month

in the State of Alabama.

Given Under My Hand and the Great Seal of the Office of the Governor at the State Capitol in the City of Montgomery on the 29th day of March 2017.

Robert Bentley

Governor