Fargo Police Urging Distracted Drivers to Remember: U Drive. U Text. U Pay.

April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month, and the Fargo Police Department will be joining forces across the country to intensify enforcement of state and local texting and distracted-driving laws, and to raise awareness about the dangers, and legal implications, of distracted driving.

According to NHTSA, between 2012 and 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 fact, in 2017, 8 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.

Every day, we ticket drivers who haven’t gotten the message that using their cell phones while they drive is illegal, and puts every other road user at risk. We all know the dangers associated with distracted driving. Whether it’s eating and drinking behind the wheel, using GPS, talking to other vehicle passengers, or using the cell phone, it’s all dangerous when you’re driving. We are determined to impress upon these drivers: Keep your hands on the wheel and your eyes on the road.